Types of Comparisons
as + adjective + as Martha is as pretty as Julie.
not so/as + adjective + as Tony isn’t as lazy as Carol.
twice/three times, etc./half as + adjective + as
Our new flat is three times as big as our old one.
the same... as I am the same age as Maggie.
less + (adjective)... than The wooden chair is less comfortable than the leather armchair.
the least + (adjective)... of/in Mr Morris is the least experienced teacher in our school.
the + comparative ..., the + comparative The sooner he arrives, the better.
comparative + and + comparative The music got louder and louder as the party went on.
Like/As
Like is used:
• for similarities. She sings like an angel.
• with feel, look, smell, sound, taste + noun. She looks like my aunt Bessie.
This coffee tastes like almonds.
• with nouns, pronouns or the -ing form to express similarity or contrast.
No one can cook like my father.
As is used:
• to say what sb or sth really is (jobs, roles or functions). She worked as an editor for ten years.
Leonardo di Caprio was very good as Jack in Titanic.
Don’t use the fork as a bottle opener.
• in certain expressions: as usual, as ... as, as much, such as, the same as. She was late as usual.
We don't drink as much coffee as we used to.
• after accept, be known, class, describe, refer to, regard, use.
She is regarded as the most innovative reporter of our times.
• in clauses of manner to mean “in the way that”. We did as we were told.
The structure as ... as ... is also used in certain comparative expressions such as:
as hard as nails
as white as snow
as black as the night
as free as a bird
as cold as ice etc.
