Descriptive language
| Technique | Examples |
|---|---|
| Simile – a descriptive technique that compares one thing with another, usually using ‘as’ or ‘like’. | The trees stood as tall as towers. |
| Metaphor – a descriptive technique that names a person, thing or action as something else. | The circus was a magnet for the children. |
One may also ask, how do we use as as?
We use as + adjective/adverb + as to make comparisons when the things we are comparing are equal in some way:
- The world’s biggest bull is as big as a small elephant.
- The weather this summer is as bad as last year. It hasn’t stopped raining for weeks.
- You have to unwrap it as carefully as you can. It’s quite fragile.
Use a comma after the if-clause when the if-clause precedes the main clause. If I’d had time, I would have cleaned the house. If the main clause precedes the if-clause, no punctuation is necessary.
Moreover, is as if a subordinating conjunction?
Some common subordinating conjunctions are after, although, as, as if, as long as, because, before, despite, even if, even though, if, in order that, rather than, since, so that, that, though, unless, until, when, where, whereas, whether, and while.
Is as if an adverb?
The word ‘if’ functions mostly as a conjunction and never as an adverb. Conjunctions are connecting words. They connect one part of a sentence to…
Is as if an idiom?
exclam. an expression said when someone says something that is not true but wishes that it were.
What can I say instead of as if?
- as it were.
- as it would be.
- as might be.
- in such a way that.
- just as.
- just as if.
- just as though.
- so to speak.
What kind of phrase is as if?
As if is a conjunction. It is used to say how something seems from the information known. It is a more formal way of saying like, and is used in the same way as as though.
What’s the difference between as if and as though?
One plausible distinction is that as if often suggests the more hypothetical proposition when cast in the subjunctive <as if he were a god>. … By contrast, as though suggests a more plausible suggestion <it looks as though it might rain>.
Where we can use as?
- As can be used in the following ways:
- as a conjunction (connecting two clauses): As I was leaving, the phone rang. …
- as a preposition (followed by a noun): He works as a waiter.
- as an adverb (followed by an adjective, an adverb, or a word such as ‘much’ or ‘many’): Nylon is cheaper than leather, and it’s just as strong.
Why do we use as?
We use as to introduce two events happening at the same time. After as with this meaning, we usually use a simple (rather than continuous) form of the verb: As the show increases in popularity, more and more tickets are sold daily.