The Ariadne was going to be much hotter than our space people had ever dreamt of.

我觉得这个句子中的 of不能省略，因为这里的  than 是  had ever dreamt of的宾语，省略 of 后就不能带宾语了。

我分享一下我的理解，供大家参考：

The Ariadne was going to be much hotter than our space people had ever dreamt of.

《剑桥语法》作者认为此句要用dreamt of. 当然这个句子也应该是选择英文书刊的。用of 适合本句语境。

这句话的意思是：阿里亚娜火箭和宇航员过去梦想中的火箭相比，其温度要高很多。。

注意，our space people是比较从句的主语，有的网友把主语理解为定语从句 our space that people had ever dreamt of，不准确,也不合乎语义。our space people = our space travellers.

原句的分句之所以用了of, 是因为分句省略了宾语The Ariadne，= than (the Ariadne) our space people had ever dreamt of.英语不说dream sth. 所以要有of.如果补全的话,意思相当于the Ariadne our space people had ever dreamt of was (hot).

那么这个句子是否可以省略of呢？如果我们省略of, ，那么dreamt 后就是省略的是宾语从句，从语法角度可以，但语义逻辑会有变化，受语境限制。从句相当于than our space people had ever dreamt (that the Ariadne was hot）的意思。整句的意思也变了，应该是：阿里亚娜火箭和宇航员过去梦想中的火箭的温度相比，它的温度要更高。这里就出现了逻辑问题，似乎人们盼着火箭温度要有一定温度。只有特殊语境才有可能。否则，是荒谬的。因为火箭目的运载，有没有温度不是目的。所以，原句用of才符合常理。

请比较和体会国外英语出版物的两个类型的例句：

使用of类型:

1.There are more things in heaven and earth than she dreamed of in her youthful philosophy. 该句比较项为things, 从句这里省略了of 的宾语things, 因此of 不能少。当然也可以换用about.补全的话相当于：There are more things in heaven and earth than there are things that she dreamed of in her youthful philosophy.

2. She flung out accusation bitterer than she dreamed of.该句比较项为accusation. of 后省略accusation. 补全相当于She flung our accusation bitterer than she flung out the accusation she dreamed of.

不用of类型：

1. It had been longer than she dreamed.

该句不能用of, 因为dreamed 后省略从句。比较从句补全为：than she dreamed (that it had been long).

2. Almost every woman finds the thing so much harder than she dreamed it could be.

句子本身带有从句。

3. He possessed more patience and understanding than she dreamed possible.

分句补全为:than she dreamed （that it was (possible) that he possessed the patience).

注意原句中的possible 不能改用副词possibly.