As...As Comparisons (equality)
To say two things are equal, put the adjective or adverb between two as words: 'She is as tall as her brother', 'He runs as fast as me'. To say one is less, use not as...as: 'This book isn't as good as the last one'.
Level: B1. Comparatives like taller and more expensive say one thing is more than another. The as…as pattern does the opposite job: it says two things are the same — or, with not, that one falls short.
The rule
To show that two things are equal in some quality, you wrap the adjective or adverb between two as words: as + adjective/adverb + as. Anna is as tall as Ben means they are the same height. He works as hard as his sister means their effort is equal.
The word in the middle stays in its base form — you never make it comparative here. It is as tall as, never as taller as and never as more tall as.
To show that one thing is less than another, put not in front: not as + adjective/adverb + as. This film isn’t as good as the book means the film is worse. An older, slightly more formal version uses so in the negative: not so good as. Both are correct; not as…as is more common today.
For quantities, the same frame works with much and many: as much … as for uncountable nouns (as much money as) and as many … as for plural countable nouns (as many books as).
As…as — the pattern
| Meaning | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| equal (adjective) | as + adjective + as | as tall as |
| equal (adverb) | as + adverb + as | as fast as |
| less | not as/so + adj/adv + as | not as tall as |
| equal amount (uncountable) | as much + noun + as | as much time as |
| equal amount (countable) | as many + noun + as | as many friends as |
| fine-tuned | just/almost/nearly/twice + as … as | twice as big as |
Example sentences
- She is as tall as her brother.Equal — same height.
- He runs as fast as me.Equal with an adverb; object pronoun 'me' in speech.
- This test was as hard as the last one.Equal difficulty.
- My phone is as good as yours.Equal quality.
- The film isn't as good as the book.Not as...as — the film is less good.
- Today isn't as cold as yesterday.Negative — less cold.
- She sings as beautifully as a professional.Equal with an adverb.
- I don't earn as much as my manager.as much as with an uncountable amount (money).
- He has as many books as a small library.as many as with a plural countable noun.
- Your bag is just as heavy as mine.'just' stresses they are exactly equal.
- This road is almost as busy as the motorway.'almost' = nearly equal.
- The new model is twice as expensive as the old one.'twice as...as' for a multiple.
- Nobody cooks as well as my grandmother.Equal with an adverb, in a negative frame.
- The exam wasn't as difficult as we expected.Negative — less difficult than expected.
- He is not so patient as his wife.Older 'not so...as' form; same meaning as 'not as'.
- We don't have as many options as before.as many...as with a plural noun, negative.
- Her English is as fluent as a native speaker's.Equal quality.
- I woke up as early as usual.as...as with a fixed phrase ('as usual').
- The second half wasn't as exciting as the first.Negative — less exciting.
- Try to arrive as soon as possible.Fixed phrase: 'as soon as possible'.
Common mistakes
- ❌ She is as tall than her brother. → ✅ She is as tall as her brother. The equality pattern uses as … as, never than.
- ❌ He runs as faster as me. → ✅ He runs as fast as me. Keep the base form between the two as words, not the comparative.
- ❌ This is as more expensive as that. → ✅ This is as expensive as that. Do not add more; as … as already carries the comparison.
- ❌ I don’t have as much friends as you. → ✅ I don’t have as many friends as you. Use as many with countable nouns.
- ❌ It isn’t as good than before. → ✅ It isn’t as good as before. The negative is still not as … as.
- ❌ She is tall as her brother. → ✅ She is as tall as her brother. Don’t drop the first as.
A short conversation
A: Is the new café as good as the old one? B: Almost. The coffee is just as nice, but it isn’t as quiet as before. A: And the prices? B: Twice as expensive, sadly — not as cheap as we’d hoped.
Usage notes
- Pronoun after the second as. In everyday English the object form is normal: as tall as me, as old as him. The subject form with a verb (as tall as I am) is more formal.
- Not as vs not so. Both mean “less than”: not as fast as / not so fast as. Not as…as is the usual modern choice; not so…as sounds more formal or old-fashioned.
- Degree words. Put just, almost, nearly, half, twice, three times, quite before the first as to adjust the comparison: just as good, nearly as tall, twice as long, half as big.
- Fixed phrases. Many set expressions use this frame: as soon as possible, as far as I know, as much as I can, as often as you like.
Compared with…
- Comparative adjectives say one thing is more than another and use -er than or more … than: She is taller than Ben (not equal) versus as tall as Ben (equal). The negative not as tall as means the same as shorter than. See Comparative Adjectives (bigger, more expensive).
- For the top of a group, use the superlative: the tallest. See Superlative Adjectives (the biggest, the most).
Quick recap before you practise.
Practice
As...as practice
Try each one, then press Check. No sign-up, nothing is sent anywhere — it all runs in your browser.
Hint: sandwich the adverb
Show answer
as ... as — Equality uses as + adverb + as: as fast as.
4 Put the words in order to show two things are equal.
Show answer
This test was as hard as the last one — as + adjective + as frames the equal comparison.
5 Match each start to its meaning.
- as good as
- not as good as
- twice as big as
- almost as fast as
Show answer
- as good as → equal
- not as good as → less / worse
- twice as big as → two times bigger
- almost as fast as → nearly equal
as...as = equal; not as...as = less; degree words adjust the comparison.
Quiz
As...as quiz
12 questions · pick an answer and you'll see straight away if it's right.
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as / as — Equality uses as + adjective + as: as fast as.
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She is as tall as me. — Use the base adjective between two 'as' words: as tall as.
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as good as — The negative is not as + adjective + as: as good as.
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as much as — Money is uncountable, so use 'as much as'.
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as many / as — 'Friends' is countable: as many friends as.
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as cheap than — 'Than' never goes with as...as; use 'as cheap as'.
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twice — A degree word like 'twice' goes before the first 'as': twice as expensive as.
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as cold as — Not as + base adjective + as: as cold as.
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shorter — 'Not as...as' means less, so 'not as tall as' = shorter.
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possible — A common set phrase: as soon as possible.
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as / as — Equality uses as...as: as fluent as.
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He works as hard as me. — Base form between the two 'as' words: as hard as.
Recap cheat-sheet
| Meaning | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| equal | as + adj/adv + as | as tall as |
| less | not as/so + adj/adv + as | not as tall as |
| equal amount (uncountable) | as much … as | as much time as |
| equal amount (countable) | as many … as | as many friends as |
How to say it
- Both as words are quick and weak, almost “uhz”; the stress lands on the word in the middle: as TALL as, as FAST as.
- Keep as (a soft “z” ending) clearly apart from has; the comparison frame has no “h” sound: say “uhz … uhz”, not “haz”.
- In the negative, the key contrast is not as GOOD as — lean on the adjective, and let the small words stay light and fast.
Next
- Next topic: Comparative Adjectives (bigger, more expensive)
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Grammar path
A1 30 topics · 30 ready
- 01 Verb 'To Be' in the Present (am, is, are)
- 02 Subject Pronouns: I, You, He, She, It, We, They
- 03 Present Simple: Affirmative and the -s Ending
- 04 Present Simple: Negatives and Questions (do/does)
- 05 Articles: a / an and When to Use Each
- 06 The Definite Article 'The': When to Use It
- 07 Zero Article: When to Use No Article
- 08 Plural Nouns: Regular and Irregular Forms
- 09 This, That, These, Those (Demonstratives)
- 10 Possessive Adjectives: my, your, his, her
- 11 Possessive 's and s' (Showing Belonging)
- 12 There Is / There Are (Saying What Exists)
- 13 Have Got: Talking About Possession
- 14 Can and Can't for Ability
- 15 Present Continuous (am/is/are + -ing)
- 16 Imperatives: Giving Orders and Instructions
- 17 Adjectives: Position and Basic Use
- 18 Prepositions of Place: in, on, at
- 19 Prepositions of Time: in, on, at
- 20 Question Words: What, Where, When, Who, Why, How
- 21 How Much vs How Many
- 22 Countable and Uncountable Nouns
- 23 Some and Any: Which One to Use
- 24 Object Pronouns: me, you, him, her, us, them
- 25 Adverbs of Frequency and Their Position
- 26 Like, Love, Hate + -ing (Expressing Preferences)
- 27 Would Like: Polite Wants and Offers
- 28 Making Requests: Can, Could, May I
- 29 Past Simple of 'To Be' (was / were)
- 30 Let's and Shall We: Making Suggestions
A2 25 topics · 25 ready
- 31 Past Simple: Regular Verbs and -ed Spelling
- 32 Past Simple: Irregular Verbs (go, see, have)
- 33 Past Simple: Negatives and Questions (did)
- 34 Comparative Adjectives (bigger, more expensive)
- 35 Superlative Adjectives (the biggest, the most)
- 36 Going To: Plans and Predictions
- 37 Will: Predictions, Decisions and Offers
- 38 Present Continuous for Future Arrangements
- 39 Present Perfect for Experience (ever / never)
- 40 Present Perfect with just, already, yet
- 41 Present Perfect vs Past Simple
- 42 Have To and Don't Have To (Obligation)
- 43 Should and Shouldn't for Advice
- 44 Could: Past Ability and Polite Use
- 45 Much, Many, A Lot Of
- 46 A Few, A Little, Few, Little
- 47 Adverbs of Manner (quickly, well, hard)
- 48 Verb + -ing or Verb + to (Introduction)
- 49 Zero Conditional (Facts and Rules)
- 50 First Conditional (Real Future Possibility)
- 51 Prepositions of Movement (to, into, through)
- 52 Possessive Pronouns: mine, yours, hers
- 53 Past Continuous (was/were + -ing)
- 54 Too and Enough (Degree)
- 55 Order of Adjectives Before a Noun
B1 27 topics · 27 ready
- 56 Past Continuous vs Past Simple
- 57 Used To and Would for Past Habits
- 58 Present Perfect Continuous (have been -ing)
- 59 Present Perfect: Simple vs Continuous
- 60 Past Perfect (had + past participle)
- 61 Second Conditional (Unreal Present/Future)
- 62 Third Conditional (Unreal Past)
- 63 Reported Speech: Statements (Backshift)
- 64 Reported Questions
- 65 Reported Commands and Requests
- 66 Passive Voice: Present and Past Simple
- 67 Must and Mustn't (Strong Obligation)
- 68 May, Might, Could for Possibility
- 69 Defining Relative Clauses (who, which, that)
- 70 Non-Defining Relative Clauses (with commas)
- 71 Gerunds and Infinitives: Full Verb Patterns
- 72 Verbs Where -ing vs to Changes Meaning
- 73 Future Continuous (will be -ing)
- 74 So and Such (Emphasis)
- 75 As...As Comparisons (equality) You are here
- 76 Question Tags (isn't it? do you?)
- 77 Phrasal Verbs: Separable and Inseparable
- 78 Linking Words: because, so, although, but
- 79 Infinitive of Purpose (to / in order to)
- 80 Indirect Questions (Can you tell me...)
- 81 Make, Let, Allow, Help (Causatives Intro)
- 82 Be Used To and Get Used To (+ -ing)
B2 25 topics · 25 ready
- 83 Narrative Tenses for Storytelling
- 84 Past Perfect Continuous (had been -ing)
- 85 Mixed Conditionals
- 86 Wish and If Only (Regrets and Wishes)
- 87 Wish/If Only + would (Complaints)
- 88 Passive Voice: All Tenses and Modals
- 89 Reporting Passive (It is said that / is said to)
- 90 Causative: Have/Get Something Done
- 91 Reduced Relative Clauses (Participles)
- 92 Modals of Deduction: Present and Past
- 93 Needn't Have vs Didn't Need To
- 94 Future Perfect (will have done)
- 95 Participle Clauses (-ing / -ed / having done)
- 96 Advanced Comparatives (far/much + er, the more)
- 97 Conditional Alternatives: unless, as long as, provided
- 98 Advanced Determiners: each, every, either, neither
- 99 Intensifiers and Adverbs of Degree
- 100 Advanced Contrast: despite, in spite of, however
- 101 Advanced Linkers: therefore, moreover, consequently
- 102 Advanced Article Use (generalisations, names)
- 103 Verb + Preposition and Adjective + Preposition
- 104 Relative Clauses: whose, where, when, quantifier + whom
- 105 Subject-Verb Agreement: Tricky Cases
- 106 Emphatic Do (I do like it)
- 107 Would for Past Habits (Formal Narrative)
C1 18 topics · 18 ready
- 108 Inversion with Negative Adverbials
- 109 Inversion in Conditionals (Had I known)
- 110 Cleft Sentences (It was... / What I need is...)
- 111 Fronting and Emphasis (Word Order)
- 112 Subjunctive and Mandative (I suggest he be)
- 113 Ellipsis and Substitution (so, do, one)
- 114 Hedging and Cautious Language
- 115 Nominalisation (Academic Noun Style)
- 116 Advanced Discourse Markers (Spoken & Written)
- 117 Advanced Passive (passive + infinitive, get-passive)
- 118 Advanced Comparative Structures (no sooner...than)
- 119 Future in the Past (was going to / would)
- 120 Advanced Modals (may well, might as well, would rather)
- 121 Advanced Reported Speech (Reporting Verbs + Patterns)
- 122 Advanced and Idiomatic Phrasal Verbs
- 123 Collocation and Colligation (Natural Combinations)
- 124 Advanced Concession (much as, whatever, however + adj)
- 125 Absolute and Non-Finite Clauses (Formal)