as . . . that

Question

0Here is a sentence from NewYork Times. Is there such a structure as "as...that"? What is it used for? Can "so" be used instead of "as" in this sentence without a change in meaning? 02br02br00- The chances 00are probably not 01font00as02font00 good 01font00that02font00 you'll go to a00 bookstore and look for 00a00 camera book.0-

Demetrius · Accepted Answer

0 01blockquote

01cite10Diamondrg12cite12br
10Here is a sentence from NewYork Times. Is there such a structure as "as...that"? What is it used for? Can "so" be used instead of "as" in this sentence without a change in meaning? 12br
12br
10- The chances 10are probably not 11font10as12font10 good 11font10that12font10 you'll go to a10 bookstore and look for 10a10 camera book.12br
12br
12blockquote

10The sentence is correct. "As" is not paired with "that". The following is an exactly equivalent paraphrase, which might make it clearer:02br
02br
00"The chances that you'll go to a bookstore and look for a camera book are probably not 01b01u00as02u02b00 good (01b01u00as02u02b00<something else> )."02br
02br
00In the example you gave, the "<something else>" must have been stated in the previous sentence or sentences.02br
02br
00Technically speaking, "that" introduces an adjectival subclause "you'll go to a bookstore and look for a camera book" that modifies the noun "chances".0-

CalifJim · Answer

0 01i00The chances are 01b00good02b00 that you'll X02i00. (from 01i01u00The chances02u00 that you'll X 01u00are good02u02i00.)02br
01i00The chances are 01b00not as good02b00 that you'll Y02i00. (from 01i01u00The chances 02u00that you'll X 01u00are not as good02u00 (as the chances that you'll X)02i00.02br
02br
00 CJ0-

Diamondrg · Answer

0thanks. if "as....that" were replaced with "so / as .......as", "so .... that" or "more ... than", would the sentence be meaningless?02br
02br
00If you're going in to buy a camera and there's book on the counter on how to use that 00camera, the chances are you may buy it,00'' says Dianne Muller. 01b00The chances are probably not 01font00as02font00 good 01font00that02font00 you'll go to a bookstore and look for a camera 00book00.02b00 00Perhaps the thorniest00 problem in special sales is acclimating oneself to the discordant customs of other00 00businesses.0-

K.O. · Answer

0 Nasılsın Diamondrg, kusura bakma,soruya cevap vermek için değil kendimi test ediyorum:  Hayır, paragrafa bakarak, 'so....that' le yeniden kurulacak bir cümle anlamsız değildir hatta neredeyse aynı anlama gelir. Doğru mu değil mi görücez. 0-

Clive · Answer

0Hi K.O.02br
02br
00Tesekkur Ederim. However, this is an English Forum, so please write in English because many people are interested in your comments.02br
02br
00Best wushes, Clive0-

CalifJim · Answer

0 Diamondrg,02br
02br
00 It seems you are stuck on the idea that 01i00as02i00 goes with 01i00that02i00in the sample sentence! It doesn't! 05002br
01u01i00chances02i02u00 goes with 01i00that02i00. 01i00The 01u00chances that02u00 you will ...02i02br
01i00good / not as good / not so good02i00 also goes with 01i00chances02i00. 01i00The chances are good. The chances are not as good. The chances are not so good.02i02br
02br
00 The replacements you suggest will make sense or not based on their relationship to the facts outlined above -- not by any analogy with 01i00as ... as02i00 or 01i00so ... that02i00 or 01i00not so ... as02i00 or 01i00more ... than02i00.02br
02br
00 So 01i00not as good02i00 can be replaced by 01i00not so good02i00 or (what is equivalent to 01i00*more good02i00) 01i00better02i00. In all cases -- the original sentence and the derivatives -- the comparative clause with 01i00than02i00 or 01i00as02i00 is omitted.02br
02br
01i00chances are good02i00 means the likelihood/probability is high.02br
01i00chances are not [so / as] good02i00 means the likelihood/probability is not very high00.02br
02br
00 The comparison portion of the full expression, shown in brackets below, may be omitted, as it is in the sample sentence.02br
02br
01i00The chances are better [than you might expect] that you will go to a bookstore. 02i00That is01i00, the likelihood that you will go to a bookstore is higher [than you might expect].02br
00 The chances are not as good [as the chances of my doing something else] that I will visit Turkey within the next week. 02i00That is,01i00 the likelihood that I will visit Turkey within the next week is not as high [as the chances of my doing something else].02i02br
02br
00 Think of the sentence which precedes the problem sentence like this:02br
01i00If you're going in to buy a camera and there's book on the counter on how to use that camera, the chances are (good) that you may buy it, i.e., the chances that you may buy it are good, i.e., the probability that you may buy it is high.02i00 00 02br
00 That may help you see the structure of the following (problem) sentence better.02br
02br
00I hope some of this helped. 05102br
02br
00 CJ02br
02br
00 (The font seems to change size whether I want it to or not!)02br
02br
010id111id1

Diamondrg · Answer

0 Thank you very much, Jim. 0-

CalifJim · Answer

0 So you are OK with it now? Let us know if there is anything else about this sentence structure that we can clarify! (It wasn't a really easy one to explain.)02br
02br
00 CJ0-

Diamondrg · Answer

0 I got it now, Jim, thank you. Your explanations are really good. 0-

K.O. · Answer

0 01blockquote

01cite10Clive12cite12br
10Hi K.O.12br
12br
10Tesekkur Ederim. However, this is an English Forum, so please write in English because many people are interested in your comments.12br
12br
10Best wushes, Clive 11font10( Hi Clive, I promise I shall not disappoint those whoever are interested in my comments again.15010)12font12br
12br
12blockquote

10 010id1

as . . . that

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