Negative comparisons using NOT AS

NOT AS + ADJECTIVE + AS

Forming

not so/as +  ... + as

Examples

  • Mont Blanc is not as high as Mount Everest
  • Norway is not as sunny as Thailand
  • A bicycle is not as expensive as a car
  • Arthur is not as intelligent as Albert

Usage

We can show that two things are not equal

not + as + adjective + as
When we use this structure, the first thing mentioned is 'less' than the second thing. The order of the things you are comparing is opposite to that used in comparisons with comparative adjectives.

Examples

  • This one isn't as big as the old one.(The old one is bigger than this one.)
  • Jenny's new flat isn't as nice as her old one.(Jenny's old flat is nicer than her new one.)
  • Paris isn't as big as Tokyo(Tokyo is bigger than Paris.)


Contractions
You can contract the subject, the verb to be and not in two ways. There is no difference in meaning:

  • It isn't as big as...
  • It's not as big as...

 

We use not the same as or not the same + noun + as to show that two things are not the same.

  • Tom’s weight is not the same as Bob’s weight.
  • The atmosphere in this restaurant is not the same as it is in Japan
  • This restaurant does not have the same atmosphere as a sushi restaurant in Japan.
  • Today, we don’t have the same weather as we had yesterday.

Compare two opposite  actions

not + verb + as +  adverb + as
The order of the things compared is the opposite to that in a comparison with comparative adverbs.

  • It doesn't work as well as we'd hoped.(We'd hoped it would work better than it does.)
  • Michael didn't play as well this week as he did last week.(Michael played better last week than he did this week.)

Difference in quantity

not + as + much  (+ uncountable noun) + as

not + as + many (+ countable noun) + as
 

  • This phone doesn't have as many features as the other one.(The other phone has more features than this one.)
  • My ticket didn't cost as much as yours.(Your ticket cost more than mine.)

Emphasizing a big difference

not + near/nearly + as + ... + as
 

  • England isn't nearly as big as Russia. (Russia is much bigger than England.)
  • My shoes didn't cost nearly as much as yours. (Your shoes cost much more than mine.)
  • There aren't nearly as many people here today as there were yesterday. (There were far more people here yesterday than there are today.)
  • Setting up a business isn't nearly such a complicated process now as it used to be. (Setting up a business used to be a much more complicated process than it is now.)

Emphasizing a small difference

not + quite + as + ... + as

  • My flat isn't quite as big as Jenny's.(Jenny's flat is a little / a bit / slightly bigger than mine.)
  • The journey didn't take quite as long as it did last time.(The journey took a little / a bit / slightly longer last time.)
  • It isn't quite such a nice restaurant as the one we used before.(The restaurant we used before was a little / a bit / slightly nicer.)