- A boy of sixteen is often as tall as his father; he was as white as a sheet. Manslaughter is not as bad as murder; you coffee is not as good as the coffee my mother makes. Manslaughter is not so bad as murder; your coffee is not so good as the coffee my mother makes.
[Con la forma positiva del adjetivo se usa ‘as … as’ en modo afirmativo y ‘ ‘not’ + ‘as … as’ ‘ o ‘ ‘not’ + ‘so … as’ ‘ en negaciones.]
2. The new tower blocks are much higher than the old buildings. He makes fewer mistakes than you, he makes fewer mistakes than you do. He is stronger than I expected (= I didn’t expect him to be so strong); it was more expensive than I thought (= I didn’t think it would be so expensive). This is the best way
[Con el comparativo se usa «than.» Si «than» se omite, lo corriente en Inglés coloquial es usar el superlativo en lugar del comparativo.]
3. This is the oldest theatre in London; The youngest of the family was the most successful. It / This is the best beer (that) I have ever drunk; It / This was the worst film (that) he had ever seen; He is the kindest man (that) I have ever met; It was the most worrying day (that) he had ever spent. I have never drunk a better beer, I have never met a kinder man, He had never spent a more worrying day. You are most kind.
[La comparación de tres o más personas cosas se expresa por medio de «the + superlativo + in/of.» El lugar de «in/of» puede ocuparlo una cláusula relativa con el tiempo en perfecto y «ever.» La misma idea se puede expresar también con «never» y un comparativo. «most» + adjetivo, sin «the,» equivale a «very.» «most» en este uso se aplica a adjetivos de 2 o más sílabas: «annoying,» «apologetic,» «disobedient,» «encouraging,» «exciting,» «helpful,» «important,» «misleading.»]
4. The weather is getting colder and colder; he became less and less interested.
[El aumento o la disminución gradual se expresa por medio de dos comparativos unidos por «and,»]
5. Riding a horse is not as easy as riding a motor cycle; It is nicer/more fun to go with someone than to go alone.
[La comparación de acciones, usando gerundios o infinitivos.]
6. Tom is very like Bill; He keeps the central heating full on. It’s like living in the tropics. Bill and Tom are very alike.
[Comparaciones con «like» (preposición) pueden expresarse por medio del adjetivo «alike.»]
7. He swims like a fish; you look like a ghost; be like Peter: go jogging; be like him: go jogging; the windows were all barred. It was like being in prison. Do as Peter does: go jogging; Why don’t you cycle to work as we do? Cycle to work like we do.
[«like» (preposición) se usa con nombres, pronombres o gerundios. «as» (conjunción) con verbos en forma personal. En Inglés coloquial «like» sustituye con frecuencia a «as.»]
8. He worked like a slave (= «very hard indeed»). He worked as a slave («He was a slave»). She used her umbrella as a weapon («She struck him with it.»)
[» ‘like’ + nombre» y » ‘as’ + nombre» no son sinónimos.]
A Practical English Grammar (A.J. Thomson & A.V. Martinet) 