Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[zephyrblows]

Hi, teachers:

I'm sort of confused about some usages of "as...as..."

Unfortunately, I can't decribe my problems clearly.

So would you please explain a few sentences below for me?

What I know is, the first "as" is an adverb, and the second is a conjunction. Why, then, there is so many examples that seem strange?

"The band is playing as loudly as last night."
>>Why is "as" connecting "loudly" and "last night"?

"I'm as good a reporter as he is."
>>I don't understand this usage...

"She is as young as twenty."
"As long ago as 1972 he found this island."
"Troubles were in sight as early as July."
>>Why is "as" connecting adverbs and nouns?

"I have as much time as I have money."
"I have two sons. One is as easygoing as the other is fussy."
>>What does "as...as..." mean in these two sentences?

And above all, I find that I can't make a sentence like those by myself!
I didn't have this strange feeling before....Are there some tips?

Thank you REALLY MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!

[hitori2k6]

Hello.

I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but most
of your examles are comparatives.
And we use "as" in this type of sentence structure
to compare one thing to another. Or sometimes
to compare one time to present.

Such as the following...
"Even though I got a lo of sleep, I'm as tired
now as I was before I went to bed last night.

In other usages "as" is used to bring attention to
a particular point of the sentence. For example

"As I was about to read my book, someone knocked
on the door".

"Just as I turned on my tv, the power went out".

In this case, we use "as" to bring attention to when something
happens.

As far as giving any tips, you would want to use "as" in situations
where you need to emphasize something or when you want to
compare two or more things to each other.

I don't know if this helps you, but I hope so.

Best wishes.

Hitori2k6

[CP]

Answering your question isn't as easy as pie, but I will try as hard as I can. I'm not as well-versed as I should be in the technical rules that govern these "as ... as" constructions, but here is my take on two of your sentences, involving comparisons:

"The band is playing as loudly as last night."
The band is playing as loudly tonight as it played last night. The comparison is between last night and tonight.

"I'm as good a reporter as he is."
I am as good a reporter as he is a reporter. The comparison is between the two people.

These "as ... as" constructions often answer the question "how ___?". Here are some often used comparisons--cliches, really:

As fast as the wind. As fast as lightning. (How fast?)
As slow as a turtle. As slow as molasses. (How slow?)
As quick as a wink. (How quickly?)
As ugly as sin. As ugly as a mud fence.
As white as a ghost. As white as a sheet.
As black as night. As black as pitch. As black as ink. As black as sin.
As red as a beet. (Often describing a person who is blushing.)
As blue as the sky.
As soft as a cloud.
As hard as a rock. As hard as a diamond. As hard as steel.
As tough as nails.
As fragile as crystal.
As easy as pie. (Although pie isn't all that easy to make. It might be an ironic use.)
As high as a kite.
As hot as H e l l.
As cold as ice.
As warm as toast.
As happy as a clam. (They always look like they are smiling.)
As fat as a pig.
As plump as a duck.
As thin as a rail.
As flat as a pancake.
As smooth as glass. As smooth as silk.
As sharp as a tack. (Refers both to sharp objects and sharp minds.)
As smart as a whip. (A bit of a pun, since it smarts when one is struck with a whip.)

Good writers try to avoid these cliches and make up their own comparisons. How about "as flat as the floor," "as smooth as a baby's cheek," "as tough as English."
_________________
You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb

[zephyrblows]

Well, firstly, thank you for your explanation^^

I think I went too GRAMMATICAL...@@

Now I think these have something to do with ellipsis...

So, can I say that
"as fast as the wind" is an abbreviation of "as fast as the wind is"
and
"I'm as good a reporter as he is" can be abbreviated to "I'm as good a reporter as he"
.....?

Or some of those are not correct?

And,
"I have as much time as I have money."
"I have two sons. One is as easygoing as the other is fussy."
According to the meanings, they don't really look like comparatives...
Are those usages common?

Thank you again!!

[CP]

So, can I say that
"as fast as the wind" is an abbreviation of "as fast as the wind is"

Yes, but usually you leave the verb off; you are talking about the speed of the wind. Example: "He runs as fast as the wind [blows]." "Bad news travels as fast as the wind [travels]."

and "I'm as good a reporter as he is" can be abbreviated to "I'm as good a reporter as he"
.....?

Yes.

And, "I have as much time as I have money."
"I have two sons. One is as easygoing as the other is fussy."
According to the meanings, they don't really look like comparatives...
Are those usages common?

The amount of time I have is equal to the amount of money I have.
The amount of "easygoing-ness" of one son is equal to the amount of fussiness of the other son.[/b]
_________________
You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb