THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN "AS" AND "HAS"

The correct use of AS and HAS.

Oftentimes, people (especially beginners and non-native speakers of English) use both AS and HAS wrongly, most times, interchangeably.  They are different words and they are not even synonyms so one shouldnt be used for the other.  In this lesson, we will examine the correct usage of both words and their differences because understanding grammar is key to understanding a language.

AS /æz/

AS belongs to two different parts of speech. It is both an adverb and a conjunction, depending on its usage in a sentence.

The main uses of 'As'

It is used to compare things which are (almost) equal: It is used to compare two or more things that are equal or almost equal in age, colour, length, size, particle etc. Examples:
He is as old as she is. (They are the same age).
She's wearing the same shoes as I am. (We're both wearing the same shoes).

1. I work as hard as he does. (We both work the same amount).
2. Your house is as large as mine. (Our houses are of same size)

It is used to Introduce a clause:

A clause is a group of words a with a finite verb and other related words which may or may not make sense. Therefore, as can introduce a clause in a sentence. Examples:

1. As you know (Like you (already) know)
2. As she told you (Like she (already) told you)
3. As they were tired, they stopped on the way. (Because they were tired, they waited on the way).

It is also use to show the time (moment, when and while) something was going on or when someone was doing something.

1. As a tailor, her sister used to complain a lot…. (When she was a tailor, her sister complained a lot).
2. As a young boy, I often played ball with my dog.(When I was younger, I often played ball with my dog).
3. As she grows richer, she is becoming more interested in charity… (Getting richer, shes becoming more interested in charity).

 It is used to show someone or something, acting in the form of, in the role of, in the function of, acting as:

As a serious student, she commands respect in school(She is a serious student, therefore everyone respects her).
As far as I am concerned she is not here (for all I know, she is not here).

HAS / hæz/.

Has is the third person singular present conjugation of the verb to have. Have is also used as an auxiliary verb.

Uses of HAS.

Note this, HAS can be used to show possession for third person singular proniouns. Please click here if you dont know what third person singular pronouns are. Here are some examples:

1.  She has a bad attitude.
2. He has my book.
3. This house has a history long into the past.

Note: Since has is used in the third person singular, it will be paired with the pronouns he, she, and it.
It is also used to show an action (in the participle) that was performed by a third person singular. Examples are:
He has rejected the job offer
It has happened before
She has forgotten the assignment.
It has killed the lamb etc.

Differences between AS and HAS.

Has Is used to show possession for third person singular nouns and pronouns e.g: He has a bad cold

As is used to compare two or more objects. E.g: The day is as dark as night.



Has It is used to show an action in the past participle for third person singular pronouns and nouns. E.g: She has gone.

As It is used to show the time when something happened e.g: As I was leaving, the rain began.