As as

from English Grammar Today

We use as + adjective/adverb + as to make comparisons when the things
we are comparing are equal in some way:
The worlds biggest bull is as big as a small elephant.
The weather this summer is as bad as last year. It hasnt stopped raining
for weeks.
You have to unwrap it as carefully as you can. Its quite fragile.
See also:

Comparison: adjectives (bigger, biggest, more interesting)

Not as as
We use not as as to make comparisons between things which arent
equal:
Its not as heavy as I thought it would be, actually.
Rory hasnt grown as tall as Tommy yet.
Shes not singing as loudly as she can.
They didnt play as well as they usually do.
We can modify not as as by using not quite as or not nearly as:
The second race was not quite as easy as the first one. (The second race
was easy but the first one was easier.)
These new shoes are not nearly as comfortable as my old ones. (My old
shoes are a lot more comfortable than these new shoes.)
We can also use not so as. Not so as is less common than not as as:
The cycling was good but not so hard as the cross country skiing we did.
As as + possibility
We often use expressions of possibility or ability after as as:
Can you come as soon as possible?
Go to as many places as you can.
We got here as fast as we could.
As much as, as many as
When we want to make comparisons referring to quantity, we use as much
as with uncountable nouns and as many as with plural nouns:
Greg makes as much money as Mick but not as much as Neil.
They try to give them as much freedom as they can.

There werent as many people there as I expected.

We can use as much as and as many as before a number to refer to a large
number of something:
Scientists have discovered a planet which weighs as much as 2,500times
the weight of Earth.
There were as many as 50 people crowded into the tiny room.
See also:

Also, as well or too?

Comparison: adjectives (bigger, biggest, more interesting)

(As as from English Grammar Today Cambridge University Press.)

Comparison: adjectives (bigger,biggest, more interesting)
from English Grammar Today
Comparative and superlative adjectives
Comparative adjectives
Comparative adjectives compare one person or thing with another and
enable us to say whether a person or thing has more or less of a particular
quality:
Josh is taller than his sister.
Im more interested in music than sport.
Big cars that use a lot of petrol are less popular now than twenty years
ago.
Superlative adjectives
Superlative adjectives describe one person or thing as having more of a
quality than all other people or things in a group:
The Silver Arrow will be the fastest train in the world when it is built.
The most frightening film Ive ever seen was Alfred Hitchcocks Psycho.
What is the least expensive way of travelling in Japan?
Comparative or superlative?
A comparative compares a person or thing with another person or thing. A
superlative compares a person or thing with the whole group of which that
person or thing is a member:
Joes older than Mike. (comparing one person with another)
Sheila is the youngest girl in the family. (comparing one person with the
whole group she belongs to)

When there are just two members in a group, traditionally, we use the
comparative. However, in informal situations people often use the
superlative:
Who is younger, Rowan or Tony? (traditional usage)
Jan and Barbara are both tall, but Jans the tallest. (more informal)
Comparative and superlative adjectives: form
One-syllable adjectives (big, cold, hot, long, nice, old,tall)
To form the comparative, we use the -er suffix with adjectives of one
syllable:
Its colder today than yesterday.
It was a longer holiday than the one we had last year.
Sasha is older than Mark.
To form the superlative, we use the -est suffix with adjectives of one
syllable. We normally use the before a superlative adjective:
I think thats the biggest apple Ive ever seen!
At one time, the Empire State building in New York was the tallestbuilding
in the world.
They have three boys. Richard is the oldest and Simon is the youngest.
Spelling of comparatives and superlatives with one-syllable
adjectives
type of
adjecti comparative
ve

superlative

most
add
add
adjecti -er: cheaper, richer,sma -est: cheapest, richest,sma
ves
ller, younger
llest, youngest
adjecti
ves
add
ending -r: finer, nicer, rarer
in -e

add
-st: finest, nicest,rarest

adjecti
ves
with
one
vowel
+ one
conson
ant:

double the final consonant

and add
-est: biggest,hottest, thinn
est

double the final

consonant and add
-er:bigger, hotter,
thinner

Note the pronunciation of these comparatives and superlatives:

1. long /l/ longer /lg(r)/ longest /lgst/

2. strong /str/ stronger /strg(r)/ strongest /strgst/

3. young /j/ younger /jg(r)/ youngest /jgst/
One-syllable adjectives which are irregular
Some one-syllable adjectives have irregular comparative and superlative
forms:
1. bad, worse, worst far, farther/further, farthest/furthest
2. good, better, best old, older/elder, oldest/eldest
The morning flight is better than the afternoon one.
His elder sister works for the government.
Olivia is Denises best friend.
I think that was the worst film Ive ever seen!
Pluto is the furthest planet from the sun in our solar system.
Warning:
We do not use more or most together with an -er or -est ending:
They emigrate because they are looking for a better life.
Not: a more better life
The beach at Marmaris is one of the biggest in Turkey.
Not: the most biggest
See also:

Farther, farthest or further, furthest?

Elder, eldest or older, oldest?

Two-syllable adjectives
Two-syllable adjectives ending in -y change y to i and take the -er and
-estendings:
busy, busier, busiest

happy, happier, happiest

easy, easier, easiest

funny, funnier, funniest

We were busier last week than this week.

Are you happier now that youve changed your job?
That was the easiest exam Ive ever taken.
Some other two-syllable adjectives (especially those ending in an
unstressed vowel sound) can also take the -er and -est endings:
clever, cleverer, cleverest

quiet, quieter, quietest

narrow, narrower, narrowest

simple, simpler, simplest

Ive always thought that Donald was cleverer than his brother.
This new bed is narrower than the old one.
The guest bedroom is the quietest room in the house because it overlooks
the garden.
We dont normally use the -er and -est endings with two-syllable adjectives
ending in -ful. Instead, we use more and most/least:
This dictionary is more useful than the one we had before.
Not: This dictionary is usefuller
Youll have to try to be more careful in future.
The most useful tool in the kitchen is a good sharp knife.
Not: The usefulest tool in the kitchen
This is the least harmful chemical in terms of the environment.
Longer adjectives
Adjectives of three or more syllables form the comparative
with more/lessand the superlative with most/least:
The second lecture was more interesting than the first.
Not: The second lecture was interestinger
That way of calculating the figures seems less complicated to me.
London is the most popular tourist destination in England.
Not: London is the popularest
If you are going as a group, the least expensive option is to rent an
apartment or villa.
Comparative adjectives: using much, a lot, far, etc.
We can strengthen or emphasise a comparative adjective using words such
as much, a lot, far, even or rather, or by using than ever after the adjective:
This food is much better than the food we had yesterday.
The town is a lot more crowded these days because of the new shopping
centre.
Alex is far less intelligent than the other kids in the class.
Weve been busier than ever at work this last month or so.
We can soften a comparative adjective using a little or a bit. A bit is less
formal:
She feels a little more confident now that shes given her first public
performance.
or She feels a bit more confident (less formal)

Comparative adjectives: using than

We use than when we mention the second person or thing in the
comparison. If the second person mentioned takes the form of a personal
pronoun, we normally use the object form of the pronoun (me, you, him, her,
us, them):
Could you carry this? Youre stronger than me.
Not: Youre stronger than I.
Why did you choose Robert? Marie is more experienced than him.
In more formal situations, instead of than + object pronoun, we can
usethan + subject pronoun + be:
You managed to answer the ten questions correctly? Well, youre definitely
cleverer than I am!
I preferred Henrietta to Dennis. She was always more sociable than he
was.
Comparative adjectives: -er and -er, more and more
To talk about how a person or thing is changing and gaining more of a
particular quality, we can use two -er form adjectives connected by and, or
we can use more and more before an adjective. We dont follow such
comparisons with than:
The weather is getting hotter and hotter.
Im getting more and more interested in conservation these days.
Comparative adjectives: the -er, the -er and the more , the
more
If a person or things gains more of a particular quality and this causes a
parallel increase of another quality, we can repeat the + a comparative
adjective:
The colder it is, the hungrier I get. (as the weather gets colder, I get
hungrier)
The more generous you are towards others, the more generous they
are likely to be towards you.
Reduced forms after comparatives
After than, we often dont repeat subject pronouns with impersonal subjects,
or auxiliary verbs with passive voice verbs:
The exam results were better than predicted. (preferred to better than
people predicted.)
Temperatures that summer were higher than previously recorded.
(preferred to than were previously recorded.)
Less and not as/not so with comparatives

We use less with longer adjectives (interesting, beautiful, complicated), but

we dont normally use less with short adjectives of one syllable (big, good,
high, small). Instead we use not as as , or not so as Not as is more
common than not so:
The second method was less complicated than the first one.
This new laptop is not as fast as my old one. Im sorry I bought it now.
(preferred to is less fast than my old one.)
Prepositions after superlative adjectives
We dont normally use of before a singular name of a place or group after a
superlative adjective:
The castle is the oldest building in the city.
Not: The castle is the oldest building of the city
Shes the youngest musician in the orchestra.
However, we can use of with a plural word referring to a group:
All the sisters are pretty, but Sarahs the prettiest of them all.
The with superlative adjectives
When a superlative adjective is followed by a noun, we normally use the:
This is the best meal Ive had for a long time.
Not: This is best meal
In informal situations, we can often omit the after a linking verb (be, seem)
or a verb of the senses (look, taste) if there is no noun:
[talking about sweaters in a shop]
Theyve got them in red, green or grey. Which looks best?
If you want to get a message to Peter, email is quickest. He never answers
the phone.
Other determiners with superlative adjectives
Before a superlative adjective, we can use a possessive determiner (my, his,
their), or the + a number (two, three, first, second), or a possessive
determiner + a number:
My worst score ever in an exam was zero. I just couldnt answer any of the
questions.
Birmingham is the second biggest city in England.
His two best friends organised a surprise party for him on his fortieth
birthday.
Emphasising superlative adjectives
We can make a superlative adjective stronger with by far, easily or of all:

The Beatles were by far the most successful rock band of the 1960s.
This method is by far the least complicated.
Shes easily the best dancer in the group. No one is as elegant as her.
There were a number of excellent poems entered for the competition,
butthe best poem of all was written by a ten-year-old boy.
In more formal situations, we can use quite:
This is quite the most irresponsible behaviour I have ever seen.
To-infinitives after superlative adjectives
We can use a to-infinitive after a superlative adjective, with a meaning
similar to a relative clause with who, which or that:
Who was the oldest person to compete in the London Marathon of
2008? (Who was the oldest person who competed ?)
The Golden Swan was the largest sailing-ship ever to be used in battle.
See also:

Relative clauses

Comparative adjectives: typical errors

A comparative adjective is followed by than, not that or as:

The next hotel we tried was more expensive than the first one.
Not: more expensive that the first one or more expensive as the first
one

After a superlative adjective, we dont normally use of before a

singular name of a place or group:

She was the tallest girl in the team.

Not: She was the tallest girl of the team.

We use the superlative, not the comparative, when we compare more

than two people or things:

Which is the citys biggest hotel?

Not: bigger hotel
(Comparison: adjectives ( bigger, biggest, more interesting ) from English
Grammar Today Cambridge University Press.)
As
from English Grammar Today
As is a preposition or a conjunction.
As as a preposition
We use as with a noun to refer to the role or purpose of a person or thing:

I worked as a waiter when I was a student. Most of us did.

Not: I worked like a waiter
[The Daily Telegraph is a British newspaper]
The Daily Telegraph appointed Trevor Grove as its Sunday editor.
Internet shopping is seen as a cheaper alternative to shopping on the high
street.
A sarong is essential holiday gear. It can be used as a beach towel, wrap,
dress or scarf and will take up no space in your bag.
Warning:
We dont use as + noun to mean similar to. We use like + noun:
Its almost like a real beach, but its actually artificial.
Not: Its almost as a real beach
I would like to have a white cat like the one in my dream.
Not: as the one in my dream
See also:

Like

As as a conjunction
The conjunction as has several different meanings. We use as when one
event happens while another is in progress (during the time that). In this
case the verb after is often in the continuous form:
They arrived as we were leaving. (time conjunction meaning while or
when)
We use as to connect a result with a cause:
I went to bed at 9 pm as I had a plane to catch at 6 am. (reason and result
meaning because)
We also use as to mean in the way that:
As the forecast predicted, the weather was dreadful for the whole of the
weekend.
She arrived early, as I expected.
The same as
We use as with the same to talk about identical things:
Your jacket is the same colour as mine.
See also:

Same, similar, identical

As: simultaneous changes

We use as to introduce two events happening at the same time. After aswith
this meaning, we usually use a simple (rather than continuous) form of the
verb:
As the show increases in popularity, more and more tickets are sold daily.
Compare
When you get older,
One thing happens first and as a
moving house gets harder. result the second thing is true.
As you get older, moving
house gets harder.
Not: While you get older

The two things happen at the

same time.

Warning:
We dont use as alone to introduce examples. We say such as:
They gave them gifts such as flowers and fruit and sang a special welcome
song.
Not: gifts as flowers
See also:

As as

Conjunctions

Same, similar, identical

(As from English Grammar Today Cambridge University Press.)

Such as
from English Grammar Today
We can use such as to introduce an example or examples of something we
mention. We normally use a comma before such as when we present a list of
examples. Where there is just one example, we dont need a comma:
The shop specialises in tropical fruits, such as pineapples, mangoes and
papayas. ( for example, pineapples, mangoes and papayas.)
Countries such as Sweden have a long record of welcoming refugees from
all over the world.
Such as is similar to like for introducing examples, but it is more formal, and
is used more in writing than like:
She has worked in several countries where English is spoken as a first
language, such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada and so on. (or, less
formal, like Australia, New Zealand, Canada and so on.)
Warning:
We dont use as on its own to introduce examples:

Young kids these days seem to love 1960s rock bands, such as the Beatles,
the Kinks or the Rolling Stones.
Not: to love 1960s rock bands, as the Beatles
Warning:
We dont use such as when we compare things:
The group from Dublin all wore green, white or gold t-shirts, like the colours
of their national flag.
Not: such as the colours of their national flag.
(Such as from English Grammar Today Cambridge University Press.)
As well (as)
from English Grammar Today
As well (as) meaning in addition
As well is an adverb which means also, too or in addition. We usually
use as well at the end of a clause:
We look forward very much to seeing you again and to meeting your wifeas
well.
As well as is a multi-word preposition which means in addition to:
She has invited Jill as well as Kate.
When they go to Austria, they like walking as well as skiing.
Might as well and may as well
We use might as well and may as well informally to mean that something is
worth doing only because other things are not happening. Might as wellis
more common:
I might as well paint the bedroom myself; no one else is going to do it.
We may as well go out tonight because theres not much on TV.
As well
We use as well and the phrase just as well when we say that something is
probably a good thing:
Its as well to have a good camera with you when you visit the bird park.(as
well here means its a good idea)
Its just as well we didnt go to the lecture, because it was cancelled.
See also:
Conjunctions
from English Grammar Today
Conjunctions are linking words like and, or, but, then and because:

They knocked down all the houses and they built a car park.
Are there four or five people living in that house?
My shoes look great but are not very comfortable.
And, but, either or, etc. (coordinating conjunctions)
Coordinating conjunctions connect items which are the same grammatical
type, e.g. words, phrases, clauses. The most common coordinating
conjunctions are and, or, but.
One-word conjunctions
Connecting words
Which do you prefer? [word]Red or [word]blue?
Connecting phrases
The meal was [phrase]very expensive and [phrase]not very nice.
Connecting clauses
[clause]There are seats outside but [clause]some people dont like sitting
outdoors.
Connecting sentences
My grandmothers name was Wall. But she became Jenkins when she got
married to my grandfather. (In very formal writing, we dont normally start a
sentence with but.)
Connecting prefixes
[prefix]Pro- and [prefix]anti-government supporters waited outside the
parliament.
Two-word conjunctions
Some coordinating conjunctions have two parts: either or , neither
nor , both and :
You can drink chocolate milk either hot in the winter or cold in the summer.
Neither Lisa nor Helena had been to Italy before. (Lisa hadnt been to Italy
before and Helena hadnt been to Italy before.)
Both you and I know what really happened. (You know and I know what
happened.)
Warning:
Apart from two-word conjunctions, we only use one conjunction to connect
words or phrases:
Because my alarm didnt go off, I was late for work.
Not: Because my alarm didnt go off, so I was late for work.
After, although, as soon as, etc. (subordinating conjunctions)

Common subordinating conjunctions are: after, (al)though, as, before, if,

since, that, until, when, whereas, while, once, so, as soon as, provided that.
When a clause follows these conjunctions, it becomes a subordinate clause,
which needs a main clause to make a complete sentence.
One-word conjunctions
[subordinate clause]After we had talked on the phone, [main clause]I wrote
down what we had decided.
[main clause]Everyone enjoyed the fishing trip [subordinate
clause]although no one caught any fish!
[subordinate clause]Before we left at four oclock, [main clause]we had
something to eat.
When the subordinate clause comes before the main clause, we usually put
a comma at the end of the clause. When the main clause comes first, we
dont need to use a comma.
See also:

Although or though?

As

As as

Before

If

Once

Since

So

That

Until

When

Whereas

While and whilst

Conjunctions with more than one word

Some subordinating conjunctions consist of more than one word: as long
as, as soon as, except that, in order that, so as to, provided that:
As long as the waves are high enough, we can go surfing.
Provided that he pays a fine, he will not have to go to jail. (formal)
Conjunctions that can be modified by adverbs

Some subordinating conjunctions may be modified by adverbs (underlined).

For example just when, ever since, only if, just as, simply because, right
before:
The phone rang just when Id gone to bed.
I have been afraid to swim in the sea ever since I was young.
Position of subordinating conjunctions
Words and phrases such as above all, anyway, as a result, as
well,eventually, firstly, however, overall, rather, then, therefore, though, on
the contrary (linking adjuncts) can create similar meanings to conjunctions
(e.g. adding, cause and effect). These words are adverb phrases and can
come in any position which an adverb can occupy:
He left home late. (As a result) he (as a result) didnt arrive until 8 pm(as
a result).
We cannot do this with subordinating conjunctions, which must come at the
beginning of the clause. Subordinating conjunctions create a grammatical
connection between two clauses, making one dependent on the other.
Compare
Subordinating
conjunction so:
He couldnt get
money from the
bank so he
couldnt buy a
house.
Linking adjunct as
a result:
He couldnt get
money from the
bank. As a
resulthe couldnt
buy a house.

These two sentences mean the same

thing but they are connected differently:

So makes a subordinating link

between the cause/reason (He
couldnt get money from the bank)
and the result (he couldnt buy a
house). This is a grammatical link.
The position of socannot change.

As a result creates a link between

two clauses based on meaning. We
can move as a result (He couldnt
get money from the bank. He
couldnt buy a house as a result).

See also:

Clauses and sentences

Conditionals

(Conjunctions from English Grammar Today Cambridge University

Press.)