Sentences with the constructions “as…as”, “not so…as”, “either…or”, “neither…nor”

– Hello, boys and girls!

– Welcome to our grammar lesson!

– We are happy to see you.

– Today we are going to start our lesson with the following four sentences…

His flat is as big as Jason’s flat.

George is not so tall as his sister Kate.

I want either a cupcake or a muffin.

Julia is neither happy nor sad about this.

As you can see, in the first sentence we’ve used the construction as…as, in the second sentence – the construction not so…as, in the third sentence – either…or and in the last sentence – neither…nor.

What’s the difference between these four constructions? When can we use them?

You can find the answers to these questions in this lesson.

So, today in the lesson we will:

● talk about sentences with the constructions “as…as”, “not so…as”, “either…or”, “neither…nor”;

And

● put the knowledge into practice.

Let’s start with the constructions “as…as” and “not so…as”.

The construction “as…as” is used to compare people, places or things that are equal in some way. In this case, the first “as” acts as an adverb modifying the adjective or adverb that goes after it. The second “as” can act as a preposition or conjunction.

If it is used as a preposition, it will be followed by a noun or pronoun.

For instance:

Mark is as intelligent as George.

(In this sentence the first “as” modifies the adjective “intelligent”. The second “as” modifies the noun “George”.)

Your car is as expensive as ours.

(In this sentence the first “as” modifies the adjective “expensive” and the second “as” modifies the possessive pronoun “ours”.)

If it is used as a conjunction, it will be followed by a clause.

For example:

We got here as fast as we could.

(In this sentence the first “as” modifies the adverb “fast” and the second “as” modifies the clause “we could”.)

As you may have noticed, we can use the construction “as…as” with an adjective or an adverb.

For instance:

The weather this summer is as bad as last year.

Christopher is as optimistic as his sister Marry.

(In these sentences we’ve used the adjectives “bad” and “optimistic”.)

You have to unwrap it as carefully as you can.

Jennifer is singing as loudly as she can.

(In these sentences we’ve used the adverbs “carefully” and “loudly”.)

We can use expressions of possibility or ability after the construction “as…as”.

For example:

Can you come as soon as possible?

Go to as many places as you can!

Benjamin ran as fast as he could.

When we want to make comparisons referring to quantity, we can use the following constructions:

“As much… as”

“As many… as”

We use “as much as” with uncountable nouns.

For instance:

Megan earns as much money as Steven does.

We use “as many as” with plural nouns.

For example:

They try to interview as many candidates as possible.

There are also many idiomatic expressions with the construction “as…as” in the English language. And they are:

As black as pitch (It means “very dark”.)

For instance:

I couldn’t see anything, because it was as black as pitch.

As quiet as a mouse (It means “very quiet, shy”.)

For example:

She sat in the corner and was as quiet as a mouse at the party.

As sly as a fox (It means “clever and cunning”.)

For instance:

You shouldn’t trust him, because he’s as sly as a fox.

As cold as ice (It means “very cold”.)

For example:

Jillian’s hands are as cold as ice.

As tired as a dog (It means “extremely tired, physically exhausted”.)

For instance:

I’m as tired as a dog, because I have been working all day.

As fast as a hare (It means “acting or moving quickly”.)

For example:

Jacob, you must run as fast as a hare!

And so on.

The construction “not so…as” is used to make comparisons between people, places or things that aren’t equal.

For instance:

This chair is not so comfortable as that one.

The bedroom is not so small as the kitchen.

Wendy is not so talented as her sister Jane.

Pay attention! We can use the construction “not as…as” instead of the construction “not so…as” to compare unequal things.

For example:

It’s not as heavy as I thought it would be.

He sleeps not as long as his sister Megan.
Kids read books not as quickly as adults.
Guys, we’ve talked about the constructions “as…as” and “not so…as”. Now…

Look at the pictures and complete the sentences using the constructions “as…as” and “not so…as”!

The sentences are…

Let’s check the right answers!

1. The chair is not so big as the bookcase.

2. He was as proud as a peacock when he passed his driving test at the first attempt.

3. The elephant is not so small as the mouse.

4. Jonathan, you can take as many apples as you like.

The following sentences are…

Let’s check the right answers!

5. Steven’s grandfather is as old as Hannah’s grandfather.

6. Sophia’s house is not so high as Robert’s house.

7. Literature is not so interesting to John as Geography.

8. Katherine, you should put the socks on, because your feet are as cold as ice.

Now let’s talk about the constructions “either…or” and “neither…nor”.

The construction “either…or” is used in a sentence in the affirmative sense when referring to a choice between two possibilities.

For example:

We can eat either now or after the show. It’s up to you.

Michelle wants either a pineapple or an orange.

You can choose either cereal or toast for your breakfast.

We use the construction “either…or” to connect items, which are the same grammatical type, for example, words, phrases, clauses, etc.

For instance:

It’s either black or grey. I can’t remember.

You can stay either with me or with Janet.

Either the tourists have the tickets or the guide does.

(In the first sentence the construction “either…or” connects the words “black” and “grey”. In the second sentence it connects the phrases “with me” and “with Janet”. In the third sentence it connects the clauses “the tourists have the tickets” and “the guide does”.)

The construction “neither…nor” is used in a sentence in the negative sense when you want to say that two or more things are not true.

For example:

Neither Joe nor his wife mentioned anything about moving house.

We got so wet. We had neither umbrellas nor raincoats with us!

Neither our families nor our friends know that we are getting married!

When we use the constructions “either…or” and “neither…nor”, we have to follow the rules below.

1. If both elements are singular, we should use a singular verb.

For instance:

Either the father or the mother has to attend the meeting.

(The nouns “father” and “mother” are singular. That’s why the verb “has” is singular too.)

Neither Leila nor Nancy is going to write the report.

(The nouns “Leila” and “Nancy” are singular, so the verb “is” is singular too.)

2. If one of the elements is plural, we should use a plural verb.

For example:

Either Sue or the girls are going to prepare dinner tonight.

(The noun “Sue” is singular, but the noun “girls” is plural. That’s why the verb “are” is plural too.)

Neither the teacher nor the students were in the classroom this morning.

(The noun “teacher” is singular, but the noun “students” is plural. That’s why the verb “were” is plural too.)

We’ve talked about the constructions “either…or” and “neither…nor”. Now…

Complete the following sentences using the constructions “either…or” and “neither…nor”!

The sentences are…

Let’s check the right answers!

1. Neither Kate nor Judy will help you with your homework. They both are busy at the moment.

2. His father believed neither his son nor his friend. He thought that both were lying.

3. Either Charlie or Bill will write the report. Just ask one of them.

4. Either you return the money you had stolen or I will call the police.

5. I need neither your help nor your compassion. I can perfectly handle my problems all alone.

6. They will either win or lose the game. There are only two possible outcomes.

7. You can use neither this computer nor the other one. Someone must fix them first.

Wonderful! Now…

Choose the correct option to complete each sentence!

And the sentences are:

1. You can wear … a black dress … a yellow one. They both look great on you.

2. Diane is … young and active … her granddaughter Joyce.

3. … Amber … Lauren will go with you. They both are too busy with their exams.

4. They try to give them … much freedom … they can.

The variants are:

As…as

Not so…as

Either…or

Neither…nor

Let’s check the right answers!

1. Either…or

2. Not so…as

3. Neither…nor

4. As…as

The following sentences are:

5. … the professor … his students were in class yesterday. The lecture was canceled.

6. Henry, you should call Mr. Davies … soon … possible!

7. Stephanie’s hair is … short … Raymond’s hair.

8. We can go to … Greece … Spain for our holiday. I’ll let you choose.

And the variants are…

Let’s check the right answers!

5. Neither…nor

6. As…as

7. Not so…as

8. Either…or

– Well done, boys and girls!

– Now you know more about the constructions “as…as”, “not so…as”, “either…or” and “neither …nor”.

– That’s all for today, our dear friends. See you soon.