Tag Archive - as-as constuction

As Smart as a Whip?

This week I’m looking at “as-as” construction. We tend to mess this one up a lot because we often say a sentence with this structure incorrectly. When using as-as construction, you have to use as twice—before and after the adjective.

Wrong:

They were thick as thieves.
She’s smart as a whip.

Correct:

They were as thick as thieves.
She’s as smart as a whip.

One exception is: “He did as best he could.” As best is a traditional idiom (according to Bryan Gardner) that substitutes “as good as.”

Hopefully, though, you don’t use these clichés in your writing! And just how smart is a whip anyway?