AS APTLY DESCRIBED AS MOST OVERWORKED WORD IN ENGLISH

Harry Shaw, in his Dictionary of Problem Words and Expressions, writes that "as" is one of the most useful and overworked words in the English language. Think of the many phrases that depend upon "as" in ordinary speech and writing: as if, as though, as in, as much as, as long as, as for, as to, as per, as follows, as regards, as a matter of fact, and on and on.

Think how many parts of speech are served by this two-letter wonder. "As" turns up in prepositional phrases, conjunctions, is sometimes an adverb, even a pronoun. It seems hardly necessary to enumerate the expressions in which "as in" is used to denote examples: it appears again and again in these columns. "As in" becomes a pronoun when changed to "such as"; "Girls such as (whom) Mother chose as our companions"; "Boys such as (who) kiss on a first date"; "Joy such as (that, which) we had never known before."

As an adverb, "as" means to the same degree or amount. In the phrase "as jolly as old Saint Nick", it relates to jolly. In "candy bought as a treat or bribe", the reference is to the verb bought.

The controversy over "as if" and "as though" as opposed to "like" will probably never end so long as we have language columnists to defend the "as" constructions, though we do have some notables who have switched. In my book, "like" is chiefly a verb, as in "Everyone likes ice cream", or a preposition, as in "Mary looks like her mother."

Time was when we were advised to use "as long as" only if the impact was positive; "Not so long as", or simply "so long as", was used to denote thoughts in the negative sense. Precisely when grammarians established this "rule" we have no way of knowing. But as far back as I can recall, masters of English literature began sentences with "So long as" regardless of impact. Today, experts are giving us a choice.

"As regards" is a phrase we have discussed earlier, but with little success. Too many speakers and writers use "in regards to" for "in regard to" or "as regards." This is a matter of idiom, which makes it difficult to explain. Some constructions require an active memory along with good eyes and ears.

"As" is often used in place of when or because inadvisedly, because confusion over meaning is likely to result. "He left the party as I arrived" could mean either when or because. He might have been peeved at me for criticizing his English and wanted me to know it. On the other hand, he could have had another engagement.

A common mistake in grammar occurs in the use of ellipsis in sentences denoting comparisons, as in "Janet is as tall as her." What is meant is, Janet is as tall as she (her friend) is. But for the omission of the verb, the correct pronoun (she) would likely have been used.

Sometimes "as" is used incorrectly in place of than. Consider "He likes bananas better as me." A double whammy! I hope he likes bananas better than I like bananas. "Better as me" is what Charles Elster ("Is There A Cow in Moscow?") would call beastly, and demand deportation to bananaland not so much for comparing me to a banana as for the offense against American idiom.

"As a matter of fact" is frowned upon by most experts as being both redundant and overworked, However, some authorities accept "in fact" because it serves to emphasize a point. Others opt for "in point of fact" because it has more class.

In formal speech, we sometimes hear "as" used in place of a pronoun: "Those as (who) buy tickets in advance will be seated promptly"; "I don't know as (that) I can be home in time for dinner."

No language scholar would approve, but we can't win 'em all. To be honest, we ourself have resorted to "Them as has, gits" in informal conversation. The idea is Biblical. The more acceptable version can be found in Matthew 25:29. Let us all ponder this, and in making our plans for Christmas, remember "them as hasn't."