Comparative 3 (as...as / than)

not as … as

Use not as … as to say that one thing is less than another.

• Joe is rich, but he isn’t as rich as Sarah. (= Sarah is richer than Joe)
• Jack isn’t as old as he looks. (= he looks older than he really is)
• The town centre wasn’t as crowded as usual. (= it is usually more crowded)
• I don’t know as many people as you do. (= you know more people)

You can also say not so … as with the same meaning:

• It’s not warm, but it’s not so cold as yesterday.

less than = not as … as

Less than has a similar meaning to not as … as.

as … as in Positive Sentences and Questions

Use as … as (not so … as) in positive sentences and questions. The structure means “equally” or “to the same degree.”

• I got here as fast as I could.
• There’s plenty of food. You can have as much as you want.
• Can you send me the information as soon as possible, please?
• Let’s walk. It’s just as quick as taking the bus.

You can also say twice as … as, three times as … as, etc.

• Petrol is twice as expensive as it was a few years ago.
• Their house is about three times as big as ours.

the same as

Use the same as (not the same like) to say two things are equal.

• Laura’s salary is the same as mine.
• David is the same age as James.
• She still looks the same as she did ten years ago.

than me / than I am

After than or as, you can use me/him/her/us/them (object pronouns) or a clause with a subject + verb. Both forms are correct.

In everyday English, the object pronoun form (than me, as him) is more common. Avoid ending with a subject pronoun alone (than I, as she) — use a full clause instead (than I am, as she is).

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