Lesson 42 · Stage 3: Plans, requests & comparing
Comparing with “as … as”
BeginnerForm & use
as + adj + as — saying two things are equal
1.Form
Use as + adjective/adverb + as to say two things are equal. Add not and it means less. The adjective in the middle stays in its plain form (no -er, no more).
| Pattern | Example | |
|---|---|---|
| Equal | as + adj/adv + as | My brother is as tall as my dad now. |
| Less | not as + adj/adv + as | Da Lat isn't as hot as Hanoi. |
| Question | Is … as + adj + as …? | Is Da Nang as expensive as Hanoi? |
| With nouns | as much / as many + noun + as | I don't have as much free time as you. |
You need two as's: as tall as my dad. The second word is not than or like.
2.When to use it
1. Two things are equal — add just to stress “exactly the same”
Your English is as good as mine.
Hue is just as beautiful as Hoi An.
2. Less: not as … as — a softer, more natural way to say less … than. In negatives you will sometimes see not so … as, with the same meaning.
This coffee isn't as strong as the one at home.
The test wasn't as difficult as I expected.
3. With adverbs: comparing how people do things
Thao sings as beautifully as her mother.
I can't run as fast as you.
4. as much / as many — comparing amounts: much + uncountable noun, many + plural noun
I don't earn as much as my brother.
There aren't as many rice fields as before.
5. as … as possible / as … as I can — to the highest possible degree
Please send me the report as soon as possible.
I ran as fast as I could.
3.How close? just, nearly, twice…
| Word before as | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| just | exactly the same | The cheap phone is just as good as the expensive one. |
| nearly / almost | very close, but a little less | Mai is nearly as tall as Lan. |
| not quite | a little less | The second film isn't quite as good as the first. |
| not nearly | much less | The flight wasn't nearly as bumpy as I feared. |
| twice / three times / half | two times, three times, half | Our new flat is twice as big as the old one. |
From three times up, you can also say three times bigger than / three times more expensive than — this is very common. But for two times, use twice as … as (twice bigger sounds wrong to most speakers).
The bus ticket costs half as much as the train ticket.
The new bridge is three times as wide as the old one.
4.The same as; as me or as I am?
To say two things are identical, use the same (+ noun) as — not like.
Your phone is the same as mine.
Hoa was born in the same year as me.
After the second as, it works like after than: use me, him, her (speech) or subject + helper verb (I am, she does). The helper verb must be in the right tense.
He isn't as patient as me. = He isn't as patient as I am.
Today I'm not as busy as I was yesterday.
not: as I'm yesterday
Use the same as for things that are identical (My bag is the same as yours), and like for things that are similar (She looks like her mum). Don't mix them into “the same like”.
5.Common mistakes
My room is as big than yours.My room is as big as yours.
as … as, not than.
This bag is as heavier as that one.This bag is as heavy as that one.
Use the plain adjective between the two as's.
My brother is as tall like my father.My brother is as tall as my father.
The second word is also as.
This flat is as twice big as ours.This flat is twice as big as ours.
Twice goes before the first as.
Nam doesn't speak English as fluent as his sister.Nam doesn't speak English as fluently as his sister.
It describes a verb → adverb.
Your bag is the same like mine.Your bag is the same as mine.
The same goes with as.
Examples
- My brother is as tall as my father now.
- Your English is as good as mine.
- Is Long Thanh Airport as busy as Tan Son Nhat yet?
- This old sofa is as comfortable as a new one.
