2.140 'same as'

If you want to say that one thing is exactly like something else, you can say that it is 'the same as' the other thing.

• The output signal will be the same as the input signal.

'The same as' can be followed by a noun group, a pronoun, an adjunct, or a clause.

• 24 Spring Terrace was the same as all its neighbours.
• Her colouring was the same as Mark's.
• But soon after, Lamin was asleep, the same as always.
• The furnishings are not exactly the same as when Morris lived there.

If two or more things are exactly like each other, you can say that they are 'the same'.

• Come and look! They're exactly the same.
• They both taste the same.

You can use 'the' with 'same' when you are comparing people or things with other people or things that you have just mentioned.

• It looks like a calculator and weighs about the same.
• The message was the same.
• The end result is the same.

Note that 'opposite' and 'converse' are also used with 'the' in a similar way.

• The kind of religious thoughts I had were just the opposite.
• This was true though the converse was not true.