Breakdown of Более того, этот генератор не сжигает топливо.
не
not
этот
this [f: эта, n: это]
тот
that
более
more
Questions & Answers about Более того, этот генератор не сжигает топливо.
Why does Более того mean "Moreover," and do I always need a comma after it?
Literally meaning "more than that" (where того is the genitive of то), более того is a fixed introductory phrase for "moreover" or "furthermore." Yes, just like in English, it acts as an introductory phrase and is almost always followed by a comma.
Does the того in Более того work the same way as the того in our current lesson's phrase, вместо того чтобы?
Exactly! Both phrases rely on the pronoun то (that) in the genitive case (того). In вместо того чтобы, it means "instead of that," and here it means "more than that." Russian frequently uses то with prepositions or comparative words to build these handy connecting phrases.
Why use сжигает for "burns" here instead of a more basic verb like горит?
Гореть is intransitive, meaning something is on fire or producing a flame (e.g., the fuel itself is burning). Сжигать (imperfective) or сжечь (perfective) is transitive—it means to actively burn, consume, or destroy something else. Since the generator is consuming the fuel (a direct object), сжигает is the correct verb.
What is the root of the word топливо (fuel)?