So +adj+ as +noun

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Anonymous

#449502 Tue, 04 Dec 07 12:53 PM

Is the construction so+adj+as+noun possible?
For example can I say I am so good as Mark at tennis?
I heard such a thingy in a song of Red Hot Chilli Peppers and at a loss now Angry [:@]

Anonymous

Constructions, Nouns

Grammar Geek

#449506 Tue, 04 Dec 07 01:10 PM

In the U.S., you would say "as good as Mark" not "so good as Mark."

Grammar Geek

Joined on Tue, Jan 10 2006

Pennsylvania, USA

Veteran Member (15,583)

Barbara, who answers in American English.

Cool Breeze

#449535 Tue, 04 Dec 07 01:40 PM

Anonymous wrote:
Is the construction so+adj+as+noun possible?
For example can I say I am so good as Mark at tennis?

You can say: I am not so/as good as Mark.

CB

Cool Breeze

Joined on Fri, Apr 7 2006

Helsinki, Finland

Senior Member (2,851)

The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.- Mark Twain

Constructions, Nouns

Blue-eyed Smiler

#449562 Tue, 04 Dec 07 02:54 PM

Where it's so white as snow--
This is the line, that is why it came as a bit of surprise to me.
///////I asked the query here/////

Blue-eyed Smiler

Joined on Tue, Aug 15 2006

Siberia

Junior Member (96)

I hope I can change myself and others

Grammar Geek

#449566 Tue, 04 Dec 07 02:57 PM

Without a moment's hesitation, I would change that to "as white as snow."

Grammar Geek

CalifJim

#449632 Tue, 04 Dec 07 06:37 PM

Where it's so white as snow--

It's impossible to pass judgment on this construction unless you provide the whole context. How do we know whether there's a negative in the previous poetic line?

Of another place I do not know
Where it's so white as snow.

You can have so + adj. + as + noun if there's a negative in the sentence.

There are none so deaf as those who will not hear.

CJ

CalifJim

Joined on Mon, Aug 2 2004

California

Veteran Member (16,966)

"There are no facts, only interpretations" - Nietzsche

Constructions, Nouns, Negatives

Grammar Geek

#449645 Tue, 04 Dec 07 07:53 PM

CJ, I accept that "not so X as Y" is a common BrE way to say it, but is it a regional thing in the US? Because even in the negative, "not as X as Y" still sounds "better" to me. If you were writing it yourself, would you use the "not so X as Y" construction?

Grammar Geek

Constructions, Negatives

Yankee

#449681 Tue, 04 Dec 07 09:38 PM

This is what the American Heritage Dictionary has to say (in part) on the subject:

"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."

Click here to read the whole article.

Yankee

Joined on Sat, Apr 15 2006

Connecticut, USA

Senior Member (4,157)

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

Articles, American English, Constructions, Clauses, Negatives

Grammar Geek

#449684 Tue, 04 Dec 07 09:41 PM

Yankee wrote:
This is what the American Heritage Dictionary has to say (in part) on the subject:

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."

Thanks Yankee. From this, I will deduce that Rockland County, NY, was just ahead of its time in jettisoning the "so... as" construction and adopting the "as... as" construction in all cases. Smile [:)]

Grammar Geek

American English, Constructions

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