The use of as
Here is a sentence that I really cannot translate:

The local production is as similar to the original production as is possible in a modern theater.

I am really confused about the two "as" here. I have heard such expression of "as similar as possible", but in the example above, there is an "is" following to the second "as".

Can anyone explain to me the grammatical role the "as "plays in the sentence?

Really appreciate it !

Question

The use of as
Here is a sentence that I really cannot translate:

The local production is as similar to the original production as is possible in a modern theater.

I am really confused about the two "as" here. I have heard such expression of "as similar as possible", but in the example above, there is an "is" following to the second "as".

Can anyone explain to me the grammatical role the "as "plays in the sentence?

Really appreciate it !

Answer

In English we have a common comparative structure (adverb) "as X as Y" that gets used quite a bit e.g., 1) as much as possible, 2) as little as possible. Your sentence just splits the common structure into two pieces. It could also be written: The local production is as similar as possible in a modern theater to the original production.

Answers · 1

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