2.133 USAGE NOTE

When the 'as ... as ...' structure is preceded by 'not', it has the same meaning as 'less...than'. For example, 'I am not as tall as George' means the same as 'I am less tall than George'. Some people use 'not so...as...' instead of 'not as...as...'.

• No 14 Sumatra Road was not as pretty as Walnut Cottage.
• The young otter is not so handsome as the old.

2.134

Submodifiers such as 'just', 'quite', 'nearly' and 'almost' can be used in front of this comparative structure modifying the comparison with their usual meanings.

• Sunburn can be just as severe as a heat burn.

The use of submodifiers in comparison is explained in paragraphs 2.162 to 2.173.

2.135

When you are using the 'as ... as ...' structure you can sometimes put a noun group after the adjective and before the qualifying phrase or clause. This noun group must begin with 'a' or 'an'. For example, instead of saying 'This knife is as good as that one', you can say 'This is as good a knife as that one'.

• I'm as good a cook as she is.
• This was not as bad a result as they expected.

Sometimes, instead of using 'not' before this structure, you can use 'not such' followed by 'a' or 'an', an adjective, a noun, and 'as'.

• Water is not such a good conductor as metal.

2.136

Instead of using this 'as...as...' structure you can use expressions such as 'the height of' and 'the size of' to indicate that something is as big as something else, or bigger or smaller.

• For a week my hand was the size of a boxing glove.
• ...forests three times the size of the Isle of Wight.