As = at the same time as
You can use
as when two things happen at the same time:
- We all waved goodbye to Liz as she drove away. (We waved and she drove away at the same time)
- As I walked along the street, I looked in the shop windows.
- Can you turn off the light as you go out, please?
Or you can say that something happened
as you were doing something else (in the middle of doing something else):
- Kate slipped as she was getting off the bus.
- We met Paul as we were leaving the hotel.
For the
past continuous (
was getting /
were going etc.), see Unit 6
You can also use
just as (= exactly at that moment):
- Just as I sat down, the doorbell rang.
- I had to leave just as the conversation was getting interesting.
We also use
as when two things happen together in a longer period of time:
- As the day went on, the weather got worse. => the day went on
- I began to enjoy the job more as I got used to it. =>the weather got worse
Compare as and when:
We use as only if two things happen at the same time.
- As I drove home, I listened to music. (= at the same time)
| Use when (not as) if one thing happens after another.
- When I got home, I had something to eat. (not As I got home)
|
As = because
As also means 'because':
- As I was hungry, I decided to find somewhere to eat. (= because I was hungry)
- As we have plenty of time before our flight, let's go and have a coffee.
- We watched TV all evening as we didn't have anything better to do.
- As I don't watch television any more, I gave my TV to a friend of mine.
You can also use
since in this way:
- Since we have plenty of time, let's go and have a coffee.
Compare as (= because) and when:
| I couldn't contact David as he was on holiday. (= because he was on holiday) | David's passport was stolen when he was on holiday. (= during the time he was away) |
| As they lived near us, we used to see them quite often. (= because they lived near us) | When they lived near us, we used to see them quite often. (= at the time they lived near us) |
