As...As... Comparisons

How to make comparisons using the "as...as..." pattern correctly

This is an entry on my list of Common Errors in English Usage. Visit the main page for direct links to additional entries.

As should not be combined with than in making a comparison. As is used to express similarity; than is used to express difference in degree:

gasoline as expensive than liquid gold
gasoline as expensive as liquid gold
more expensive than liquid gold

For negative comparisons using this pattern, see the entry for “not so…as…”

Related Resources

Common Errors in English Usage: Errors in diction and idiom commonly made by native speakers of English

List of Common Errors in English Usage (PDF): Printable version of the complete list

Common Grammar Errors: A list of common errors in grammar (topics like subject-verb agreement and parallelism) as distinct from usage

List of Common Errors in English Usage: PDF version

© 2006, 2008, and 2019 C. Brantley Collins, Jr.