Let alone, what with and not that

I can't boil an egg, let alone cook; what with the traffic and the rain; not that I mind.

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Some patterns link ideas in a way that ordinary linking words cannot. Let alone adds something even less likely, what with gives a list of causes, not that cancels a conclusion the listener might draw, and the more ..., the more ... links two changes. Most of them are as common in conversation as in writing.

Pattern	What it does	Example
let alone	adds something even less likely	I can't afford a car, let alone a house.
what with ... and ...	gives several causes, often of a problem	What with work and the kids, I'm exhausted.
not that + clause	rejects a conclusion the listener might draw	He didn't call. Not that I care.
the + comparative, the + comparative	links two changes	The sooner we start, the sooner we finish.

Let alone

Let alone follows a negative or limiting idea (can't, hardly, too small) and adds a second, stronger one: if the first is not true, the second is even less true. What comes after let alone usually has the same form as the word it is compared with: a noun after a noun, a verb after a verb.

I can't boil an egg, let alone cook a three-course meal.
She hardly has time to sleep, let alone go on holiday.
The flat is too small for one person, let alone a family of four.
Incorrect: He speaks French fluently, let alone Chinese.
Correct: He can't speak French, let alone Chinese.
Let alone needs a negative or limiting idea before it.

Never mind is a more informal alternative. Much less and still less are more formal: He had never visited Europe, much less lived there.

What with ... and ...

What with + noun phrase or -ing gives the reasons for a situation, usually a difficult or tiring one. It often lists two or more causes joined by and. It is more common in speech and informal writing.

What with the traffic and the rain, the journey took four hours.
What with moving house and starting a new job, it's been a busy year.
I haven't had time to read, what with all the exams.
Incorrect: What with the traffic was bad, we arrived late.
Correct: What with the traffic, we arrived late. / Because the traffic was bad, we arrived late.
What with takes a noun phrase or -ing, not a whole clause.

Not that + clause

Not that + clause stops the listener from drawing a conclusion from what you have just said. It usually comes after the main statement, often as a separate sentence.

He didn't invite me to the wedding. Not that I wanted to go.
Don't think I'm upset: I didn't want to go anyway.
The hotel was very expensive. Not that it was a bad hotel, but it wasn't worth the price.
She's moving to Canada. Not that it matters to me.
Not that it matters, but the meeting has been moved to Tuesday.
A common fixed phrase that plays down what follows.

The more ..., the more ...

The + comparative ..., the + comparative ... links two changes: as one thing changes, the other changes with it. Each half has a comparative at the front and then the subject and verb. At C2 the halves are often longer, or shortened.

The more you practise, the easier it gets.
The more money people earn, the more they tend to spend.
The longer I live here, the less I want to leave.
The bigger the risk, the bigger the reward.
Be is left out in both halves.
The sooner, the better. / The more, the merrier.
Fixed short forms.
Incorrect: The more you are experienced, the more you earn.
Correct: The more experienced you are, the more you earn.
The comparative adjective goes at the front with the more.

All the + comparative with a reason means "even more ... because of it": I liked her all the more for her honesty. The result is all the more surprising because nobody expected it.