Difference between so ... as and as .... as

Question

Hi,Could you please explain what is the difference, however little it is, between the expressions : so ... as and as .... as. In grammar books I read, there is no difference, but when I read novels or any piece of writing, the author can choose either without knowing why he choose this or that pattern.Example: He didnt give him so/as much as a thank you. Thanks in advance.

Regards · Accepted Answer

butterfly60Could you please explain what is the difference, however little it is, between the expressions : so ... as and as .. as. In grammar books I read, there is no difference, but when I read novels or any piece of writing, the author can choose either without knowing why he choose this or that pattern.
Example: He didnt give him so/as much as a thank you.

Hi,

The uniqueness of a novel consists in its extraordinary grammar. You are very likely to find in it

some phrases and expressions which may sound strange to many people today.

The novelists are at liberty to express their feelings in a way that they find appropriate,

and consequently they are fortunate to write novels according to their light.

It is quite hard, then, to learn idiomatic English just from reading novels and poems, and a lot

of people recommend learning English from other sources. According to them, reading novels

per se is not a good way to learn English. I suggest learning modern English first, and then moving on to

reading novels. Anyway, the structures you provided are not identical.

Strictly speaking, you should use the structure so...as while the comparison being made has a negative

connotation, whereas you should use the structure as...as while the comparison being made is positive.

Yet, you can possibly see people using the structure as...as even though the comparison would have a

negative form.

Examples

He is not so a smart person as Forbes is.

The examination is not so difficult as Morgan said.

She is as pretty as Emily is.

I can't run as fast as you.

Regards

Butterfly60 · Answer

Hi,

Thank you very much for your reply. I appreciate your contribution.

Regarding novels, I believe that they help to fix what we learn as vocabulary and grammar. Of course, it is not good that one who has never known english or is still a beginner will lean over litterature to learn it. He has got to take courses, in which modern English is taught.

Regards

Regards · Answer

butterfly60Regarding novels, I believe that they help to fix what we learn as vocabulary and grammar. Of course, it is not good that one who has never known english or is still a beginner will lean over litterature to learn it. He has got to take courses, in which modern English is taught.

Hi,

I wouldn't say reading novels fixes our dearth of knowledge, but perhaps that helps to complete it.

Naturally, one who isn't familiar with English enough cannot fully understand novels, which

often use old-fashioned English, or rather, written English. However, it doesn't mean that one

shouldn't make an attempt to become familiar with English literature, as one may benefit from it a lot.

Regards

Anonymous · Answer

butterfly60Hi,Could you please explain what is the difference, however little it is, between the expressions : so ... as and as .... as. In grammar books I read, there is no difference, but when I read novels or any piece of writing, the author can choose either without knowing why he choose this or that pattern.Example: He didnt give him so/as much as a thank you. Thanks in advance.

CalifJim · Answer

The meaning is the same, but quite a few years ago the usual advice was to use "so ... as" with negatives and "as ... as" with affirmatives. Few writers and even fewer speakers follow this advice anymore.

CJ

Anonymous · Answer

AS...AS vs SO...ASAS...ASWe use as + adjective/adverb + as to make comparisons when the things we are comparing are equal in some way:? The world’s biggest bull is as big as a small elephant.? We work as hard as any other team in England..? You have to unwrap it as carefully as you can. It’s quite fragile.NOT SO...AS(formal)We used in comparisons to say that something or someone has less of a particular quality than another person or thing? The bed was not so comfortable as his own.? The idea is not so silly as it sounds.COMMON MISTAKE :In comparisons without ‘not’, you say as ... as:? Your writing is as bad as mine.?Don’t say: Your writing is so bad as mine. YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THIS SHEET IN PDF FORMAT HERE :https://www.aprendeinglesenleganes.com/as --as-vs-not-so...

Difference between so ... as and as .... as

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