as
as — adverb
1. showing that two people, things, amounts, or actions reach an equal level in a c
showing that two people, things, amounts, or actions reach an equal level in a comparison.
The river is not as deep as it looks from here.
pattern: not as + adjective + as
Mika can draw as neatly as her older sister now.
as + adverb + as
This bag isn't as heavy as the blue one.
By noon, the market was as crowded as the night market.
- as good as
- as fast as
- not as much as
Grammar Patterns
as + adjective/adverb + as
not as + adjective/adverb + as
Usage Note
Commonly used with adjectives and adverbs in the pattern 'as ... as'. In negative comparisons, English often uses 'not as ... as' instead of the comparative form.
Common Mistakes
as — preposition
1. showing the part, use, appearance, or meaning that a person or thing has in a si
showing the part, use, appearance, or meaning that a person or thing has in a situation.
Lena works as a cook at the hospital near our home.
as + job or role
We used an old towel as a curtain in the bathroom.
as + tool or use
The message came as a surprise to everyone in class.
On stage, Ravi dressed as a pirate with a paper sword.
- work as
- use as
- see as
- come as a surprise
- in the role of
more formal and mainly used in careful writing
- like
only works when you mean similarity, not an actual role or function
Grammar Patterns
as + job or role
as + tool or use
as + result or feeling
Usage Note
Choose 'as' when the noun after it gives a real role, use, or result. Distinguish from 'like': 'like' shows similarity, but 'as' says what someone or something actually is or becomes in that moment.
Common Mistakes
as — conjunction
1. introducing the reason for something, often when the reason is already clear or
introducing the reason for something, often when the reason is already clear or is not the main new information.
As the roads were icy, the school bus arrived very late.
as + reason clause at sentence start
Nina stayed home as her baby had a fever.
main clause + as + reason clause
As you already know the bus route, you can guide us home.
We ate indoors as dark clouds covered the beach.
- as you know
- as it was getting late
- as the weather changed
Grammar Patterns
as + clause, + main clause
main clause + as + clause
Usage Note
Often sounds a little lighter and less direct than 'because'. It is common when the speaker treats the reason as shared knowledge or background information.
Common Mistakes
2. at the time when something else happens, or while one change happens together wi
at the time when something else happens, or while one change happens together with another.
I waved at Ken as I crossed the station bridge.
as for two actions happening together
The room grew quieter as the babies fell asleep.
simultaneous change
As the years passed, the village road became wider.
The candles burned lower as dinner went on.
- as time passed
- as I walked
- as prices rose
Grammar Patterns
as + clause, + main clause
main clause + as + clause
Usage Note
Frequently links a gradual change in one clause with a gradual change in the other. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense focuses on time or parallel change, not on reason.
Common Mistakes
3. showing that something happens or is true by following a similar pattern to anot
showing that something happens or is true by following a similar pattern to another thing or situation.
As my father taught me, I washed the knife at once.
as + clause for manner or model
Just as we expected, the small shop sold out early.
just as + clause for expected similarity
As the recipe says, bake the fish for twenty minutes.
Mina packed the tent as her scout leader had shown her.
- as expected
- as usual
- just as
Grammar Patterns
as + clause
just as + clause, + main clause
Usage Note
Often points to a model, example, or earlier situation. Distinguish from sense 2: here the focus is similarity of way or pattern, not simply that two things happen at the same time.
Common Mistakes
4. even though; used before a surprising main clause, often in an inverted pattern
even though; used before a surprising main clause, often in an inverted pattern such as 'tired as she was'.
Tired as Kofi was, he still read to the children.
adjective + as + subject + be
Cold as the water looked, Leo jumped in first.
formal concessive pattern
Young as Hana is, she speaks to guests calmly.
Strange as it seemed, the lost dog found our gate.
- tired as ... was
- young as ... is
- strange as ... seemed
- although
the normal neutral form without inversion
- though
more common in speech and less formal than this pattern
- even though
more direct and emphatic than this literary pattern
Grammar Patterns
adjective + as + subject + be, + main clause
noun + as + subject + be, + main clause
Usage Note
Common in formal writing and careful speech. The word before 'as' is usually an adjective or noun moved to the front for emphasis.
Common Mistakes
as — pronoun
1. used after 'same' or 'such' to introduce the person or thing that fits that desc
used after 'same' or 'such' to introduce the person or thing that fits that description.
Kai ordered the same noodles as his brother ate last week.
the same + noun + as
The museum keeps tools such as farmers once used.
such + noun + as + clause
Our class read the same poem as last year's students studied.
Bao loves songs such as his grandmother sang at weddings.
- the same ... as
- such ... as
Grammar Patterns
the same + noun + as + noun phrase
such + noun + as + clause
Usage Note
Most often appears after 'same' in everyday English and after 'such' in more formal or literary patterns. Distinguish from the preposition sense: here 'as' points to the kind of person or thing meant inside the noun phrase.
Common Mistakes
2. used to point to a whole fact or situation, often in comments such as 'as we exp
used to point to a whole fact or situation, often in comments such as 'as we expected'.
The train was late, as we had feared all morning.
comment clause referring to the whole earlier fact
Bao passed the test, as her teacher expected.
as + subject + expected
The kitchen was empty, as was the room upstairs.
Dad forgot the map, as often happens on family trips.
- as expected
- as we know
- as often happens
- which
more common in modern non-defining clauses after a whole statement
- a fact that
not a one-word synonym, but it shows the meaning this sense adds
Grammar Patterns
main clause, + as + subject + verb
main clause, + as + be + past participle
Usage Note
Usually comes after a full clause and adds a short comment on that whole statement. Distinguish from conjunction sense 3: this sense points back to the whole earlier fact, rather than comparing two ways of doing something.
Synonym discussion
Sense: preposition/1
'As' is the right choice when the noun after it gives a real job, use, result, or identity: 'She works as a nurse' and 'We used the box as a table.' 'Like' only shows similarity, so 'He talks like a teacher' does not mean he is one. 'For' often marks purpose instead: 'This brush is for paint' focuses on what it is meant for, not what it becomes in a situation. 'In the role of' is a formal written alternative, especially in reviews or official descriptions. For learners, the key question is simple: is the noun naming the actual role or function now? If yes, choose 'as'; if it only gives a comparison, choose 'like'.
Common collocations
Phrases
- as ... as
- as a/an ...
- as + clause
Etymology
The word comes from Old English forms such as 'alswa' and related spellings, built from an older idea meaning 'all so' or 'just so'. In Middle English it was shortened to 'as'. The old sense of sameness still shows in many modern uses, especially when English compares two things, gives a role, or links one situation with another.