In different lessons, we studied comparatives. Comparatives are used to compare two people, places, or things. For example,
- Lions are more dangerous than puppies.
- Starbucks is better than Coffee Bean.
- She works harder than I do.
- Ben eats more slowly than his wife does.
- It was much more expensive than I thought.
There is one other way that we can compare two things.
We can use “as…as….” to show that 2 things are the same.
And, we can use “not as….as….” to show that 2 things are different.
Let’s take a look at the most common ways to do this.
1. We often compare two things with adjectives. Use this pattern to show that two things are the same.
Subject 1 + be verb + as + adjective + as + Subject 2
- She is as tall as her brother.
- Pepsi is as expensive as Coke.
- McDonald’s is as delicious as Burger King.
- Thailand is as hot as Vietnam.
- Apples are as sweet as pears.
- Dogs are as cute as cats.
Use this pattern to show that two things are not the same. We are just adding “not” after the “be verb”.
Subject 1 + be verb + not + as + adjective + as + Subject 2
- She is not as tall as me.
(=I am taller than her. / She is shorter than me.) - The blue car isn’t as fast as the red car.
- Lions aren’t as fast as cheetahs.
- Hamburgers are not as expensive as steaks.
- Fried chicken is not as healthy as grilled chicken.
We can also make questions.
Be verb + subject 1 + as + adjective + as + subject 2?
- Is she as tall as you?
- Are the boys as smart as their father?
- Was this hotel as expensive as the last hotel?
2. We can also use comparative adverbs. Put the adverb that modifies the verb in between “as…as”. The most common ones are “as much as”, “as little as”, and “as well as”, but we can use any adverb.
Subject 1 + verb + as + adverb + as + subject 2
These sentences show that the subjects are the same.
- I can eat as much as her.
- She ran as fast as me.
- Mary talks as much as her sister.
- They dance as beautifully as their dance teacher.
- We work as diligently as our boss.
- She goes out as often as her brother.
- He works as little as possible.
Use a negative verb to show difference.
- He doesn’t work as much as his wife.
- She doesn’t talk as much as her mother.
- They do not exercise as much as they should.
- Greg didn’t study as much as his brother when they were young.
- This book doesn’t talk about the war as much as the other books.
Here are some examples of questions.
- Can you run as fast as Michael?
- Have you been to Europe as often as your boss?
- What machine can reach as high as the 50th floor?
- Do you eat as much as him?
- Can you work as hard as she did?
3. We can also use this grammar with nouns. We use this pattern.
Subject 1 + verb + as + comparative + noun + as + subject 2
Positive sentences show similarity.
- I have as many shoes as her.
- She spent as little money as I did.
- He worked as many hours as we did last week.
- They have as many animals at their house as a farm.
Make negative sentences to show difference.
- She didn’t buy as many presents as I did.
- I don’t know as many people as her.
- He didn’t use as much money as she did when they went shopping.
3. We can add extra words to give more detail.
We can use “almost” or “nearly” with “as…as” to show that two things are almost the same, but not exactly the same. Put these words after the “be verb”.
- She is nearly as tall as I am.
(=I am a little taller than her) - The blue shirt is almost as expensive as the red shirt.
(=The blue shirt is a little cheaper than the red shirt)
We can use “just” to emphasize that two things are exactly the same.
- She is just as tall as me.
- BMW cars are just as expensive as Mercedes Benz cars.
How about negative sentences?
We can use “not quite” to show that the difference is small.
- She is not quite as tall as I am.
(=She is a little shorter than I am.) - They were not quite as expensive as I thought.
(=I thought they would be $100, but they were $95.)
We can use “not nearly” to show that the difference is big.
- She is not nearly as tall as me.
(=She is much shorter than me.) - They were not nearly as expensive as I thought.
(=I thought they would be $100, but they were only $20.)
4. We use this grammar a lot to compare people to animals or things. This is a way to make our language more interesting. We can make our own, but there are some common expressions that are used a lot.
- She is as busy as a bee.
- It is as easy as pie.
- I will come as soon as possible. (ASAP)
- It is as good as done. (It is almost finished.)
- I am as hungry as a bear.
There are many of these expressions. Plus, we can always make your own. Be creative.
This is an advanced grammar point. We have taught English for over 15 years and know that many English learners have trouble with this. But if you read many examples, practice making your own sentences, and listen and look for it when you study or use English, then you will become more comfortable with it.
Learn to speak better English and improve your English grammar by simply doing this basic practice exercise. First, complete the sentences with your own answers, and then practice making your own sentences.
Tip: Say the sentences aloud. This will help you practice speaking English and improve your pronunciation and fluency. It will help your tongue get used to speaking English and making English sounds.
_______________ is as fast as a car.
_______________ is not as fast as a car.
_______________ is as expensive as a computer.
_______________ is not as expensive as a computer.
_______________ is not as fun as studying English.
Studying English is not as fun as _______________.
_______________ is not as tall as me.
I am not as tall as _______________.
Books are not as _______________ as movies.
My friend does not _______________ as much as I do.
I do not _______________ as much as my family wants me to.
I don’t travel as often as _______________.
Winter is not as _______________ as spring.
Working is not as _______________ as traveling.
_______________ was not as expensive as I thought
_______________ is better than I thought at first.
_______________ is much worse than I thought it would be.
