As much as "you" or "you do"
I came across this sentence in a blog.. "You'll receive no more than 1-2 emails per week, as we hate spam just as much as you. "
While I appreciate the sentiment, i can't help but wonder if they hate me! So here's my question : Is this sentence correct? To me, it seems like it should be "we hate spam just as much as you DO".
In the third person though, there are two different forms, owing to two different words for the subject pronoun and object pronoun (unlike "you")
1."we hate spam just as much as SHE". (girl + bloggers hate spam)
2."we hate spam just as much as HER". (bloggers hate girl + spam)
Since this is not the case with "you", should there absolutely be a "do" at the end of the sentence, or are we supposed to just understand it based on context? Or is "we hate spam just as much as you" the actual right way of conveying that they hate spam, making me completely wrong (and a little paranoid)?
The three rules of writing for the web, in order of priority, are:
- Keep it accessible.
- Keep it clear. Never force the reader to stop and think.
- Keep it short.
So the question is: did you have to stop and think about whether they hate you or spam? If you did, even for a nano-second, then you do is better, because it clears up the ambiguity (Rule 2). Otherwise, you is better because it's shorter (Rule 3).
As for grammaticality, as much as you and as much as you do are both acceptable.
The rule you cite about writing as much as she rather than as much as her is, to say the least, debatable. It's a holdover from the 18th century fashion for making formal writing sound more like Latin. It may be appropriate to follow this rule in some very formal texts, but not in a blog.
Grammatically speaking, the do is necessary. I disagree that inclusion of the 'do' is academic. It avoids ambiguity, and is good grammar (which is important if your / the email's audience includes people who would care about such things). Without the 'do', the sentence would be deemed 'colloquial'.