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A2 · ElementaryLesson 2 of 5

Equality and Inequality Comparisons

Learn how to use as...as and not as...as in English to compare two people, things, or actions that are equal or unequal, in this A2 grammar lesson.

By the flumi team About 6 min read Grammar learning path: Comparing qualities, actions and quantities
Practice exercises

What Are Equality and Inequality Comparisons?

We use as … as and not as … as to compare two people, things or actions.

  • as … as = the quality or action is at the same level
  • not as … as = the first person or thing has less of that quality

These patterns are an alternative to comparative forms such as taller than. They focus on whether a quality or action is equal or lower.

  • John is tall. Mike is tall. → John is as tall as Mike. (same)
  • John is tall. Mike is short. → Mike is not as tall as John. (less)

As … as (Equality)

Structure: as + adjective + as
Meaning: two things are the same

Examples

  • tall → as tall as
  • fast → as fast as
  • expensive → as expensive as

Sentences:

  • John is as tall as Mike.
  • This car is as fast as that car.
  • This hotel is as expensive as that one.

After the second as

After the second as, use an object pronoun in informal English or a subject + verb in more formal English:

  • "She is as tall as me." (informal)
  • "She is as tall as I am." (more formal)

The same choice is possible with adverbs: "She runs as fast as him." / "She runs as fast as he does."

Not as … as (Inequality)

Structure: not as + adjective + as
Meaning: the first person/thing has less of this quality. For example, not as tall as = shorter than.

Not as ... as is often softer and more polite than a comparative, and it does not imply a large difference: He isn't as tall as his brother, but they're almost the same height. You may also see the more formal not so ... as in reading: The second route is not so fast as the first.

Examples

  • tall → not as tall as
  • fast → not as fast as
  • big → not as big as

Sentences:

  • Mike is not as tall as John.
  • This car is not as fast as that car.
  • My room is not as big as my brother’s room.

In everyday speech, we usually contract is not, are not, do not and does not: Mike isn’t as tall as John. / They don’t work as quickly as we do. The full forms are also correct and can sound more formal or emphatic.

Using Adverbs

Use an adjective after be (She is a careful driver). Use an adverb after an action verb (She drives as carefully as her brother).

We can also use as … as with adverbs.
Structure: as + adverb + as

Examples

  • carefully → as carefully as
  • well → as well as

Sentences:

  • She drives as carefully as her brother.
  • He speaks English as well as his teacher.

We can also use not as … as with adverbs: He doesn’t speak English as well as his teacher.

In "She speaks English as well as her teacher," as well as compares how well two people speak. But as well as + noun can also mean in addition to: "She speaks English as well as French."

Comparing Quantities

Use as much … as with uncountable nouns and as many … as with plural countable nouns.

Noun type Equality Inequality
uncountable: time, water, money as much + noun + as not as much + noun + as
plural countable: books, classes, chairs as many + noun + as not as many + noun + as

Examples

  • I have as much free time as Lena.
  • We don’t drink as much coffee as they do.
  • Leo has as many classes as Sara.
  • We don’t own as many books as our neighbours.

The quantity pattern also works with multiples: This bottle has twice as much water as that one.

Quick check

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Pizza is popular as burgers in my country.

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Modifiers and fixed expressions

Use modifiers to show a small or large difference:

  • “Mia is just as tall as Leo.”
  • “This phone is almost / nearly as expensive as that one.”
  • “My bike is not nearly as fast as yours.”

Use as ... as possible or as ... as + can to say that someone does something to the greatest degree: Please reply as soon as possible. / Run as fast as you can. / Write as clearly as possible.

Using “The Same … As”

Use the same + noun + as to say that a feature, type or amount is equal.

  • John is the same height as Mike. (= John is as tall as Mike.)
  • My bag is the same colour as yours.
  • We go to the same school as our cousins.
  • My phone isn’t the same model as yours.
  • My bag is the same as yours.

British English uses colour and neighbours; American English uses color and neighbors.

Use an adjective in as tall as, but a noun in the same height as.

Common Errors

Do not mix the as … as structure with a comparative form and than.

  • ❌ This test is as easier as the last one. → ✅ This test is as easy as the last one.
  • ❌ My bag is lighter as yours. → ✅ My bag is lighter than yours. / My bag isn’t as heavy as yours.
  • ❌ She has as much books as I do. → ✅ She has as many books as I do.
  • ❌ We have the same teacher than them. → ✅ We have the same teacher as them.

Summary

  • as … as = the same level
  • not as … as = a lower level
  • as much/many … as = the same quantity
  • the same … as = the same feature, type or amount

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Last updated October 14, 2026