What’s the difference between vより仕方がない and v仕方がない?

What’s the difference between vより仕方がない and v仕方がない?

In Bunkei jiten, these seem to be interchangeable except for the longer version being more formal.

【しかたがない】

  1. しかたがない
    (1)電話の通じない所で、しかたがないから電報を打った。

Since it was a place with no telephone connections, I had no choice but to send a telegram.
(2)こんなことができないなんて、しかたがない人ね。

You can’t even do something like this—you’re hopeless, aren’t you!
(3)行きたくないけど行くしか仕方がない。

I don’t want to go, but I have no other choice.
(4)会えないなら引き返すよりしかたがない。

If we can’t meet (them), we have no choice but to go back.
Means that there is no other way. Also used in the forms V-るしかしかたがない and V-るよりしかたがない, as in (3) and (4) respectively. Example (2) means the person is incompetent or troublesome. In spoken language, the form しょうがない is also used

None of the examples you provided have v-る directly followed by 仕方がない.

Dictionary form verb (終止形 )+仕方がない

I was comparing sentence 3 to 4
…行くしか仕方がない
…引き返すよりしかたがない。

Sentence 3 has a しか in there between them. しか and より seem interchangeable based on the description you provided, but not sure if Bunpro would accept しか (might be worth them adding if it actually is interchangeable). In your answer in the screenshot you posted, you just put しかたがない directly after the dictionary form of the verb, which I believe should be marked incorrect.

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Ah.
Thanks, my brain short circuits sometimes and I can’t see the obvious.

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