as/so as

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Teo

#486123 Fri, 07 Mar 08 03:50 PM

1. Is he as old as I?

2. Is he so old as I?

#1 is correct. Is #2 also acceptable?

Teo

Joined on Tue, Sep 28 2004

Taiwan

Contributing Member (1,609)

Thank you very much for your reply.

Avangi

#486145 Fri, 07 Mar 08 04:40 PM

No, it's not. You could say, "Is he so old he remembers the second world war?"

Avangi

Joined on Mon, Nov 19 2007

Senior Member (3,026)

". . . le plaisir delicieux et toujours nouveau d'une occupation inutile." - Henri de Regnier

Tanit

#486149 Fri, 07 Mar 08 04:48 PM

I reckon "so ... as" is controversial in the negative form: He is not as old as Tom versus He is not so old as Tom.

I haven't got my grammar books here, but I distinctly remember that one said we should use only "not as ... as" and another said "not so ... as" is fine.
Go figure!

Tanit

Joined on Mon, Jul 31 2006

In the middle of the Mediterranean Sea

Contributing Member (1,972)

A man can do only what he can do. But if he does that each day he can sleep at night and do it again the next day. (A. Schweitzer)

Grammar, Negatives

Teo

#486379 Sat, 08 Mar 08 02:14 PM

Usage Note: A traditional usage rule draws a distinction between comparisons using as . . . as and comparisons using so . . . as. The rule states the so . . . as construction is required in negative sentences (as in Shakespeare's "'tis not so deep as a well"), in questions (as in Is it so bad as she says?), and in certain if- clauses (as in If it is so bad as you say, you ought to leave). But this so . . . as construction is becoming increasingly rare in American English, and the use of as . . . as is now entirely acceptable in all contexts. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/as

Teo

American English, Constructions, Clauses, Negatives

Yankee

#486383 Sat, 08 Mar 08 02:23 PM

Hi Teo

Neither one of your sentences sounds natural in American English.

If you want to sound natural in spoken American English, you should say "Is he as old as me?" and if you want to sound natural in more formal written American English, I'd recommend you say something such as "Is he as old as I am?"

Yankee

Joined on Sat, Apr 15 2006

Connecticut, USA

Senior Member (4,102)

Amy "You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." - Mark Twain

American English