 In this video, I'm going to teach you how to use as much as and you're going to learn how to add as much as to your vocabulary using two different meanings. I'm really excited for this video because this has been a lesson that many of my students have requested and I love creating videos that I know you'll love. Of course, I'm Jennifer from j4senglish.com and this channel is dedicated to helping you sound like a fluent confident natural English speaker. Now before we go any further, make sure you subscribe and hit that bell notification so you're notified every time I post a new video. Now let's dive in with this lesson. I'm going to teach you how to use as much as. As I said at the beginning, as much as can be used in two very different ways depending on the context and you're going to learn how to use both of these ways by the end of the video. So here we go with meaning number one. You can use as much as when you have two different things and you want to say that those two things are equal in amount or degree. Let's take a look at an example sentence. I deserve that promotion as much as she does. As you can see in this example, we have two different things and we're talking about amount. The amount that I deserve the promotion and what's the other amount? The amount that she deserves the promotion. Okay. So let's say the amount that she deserves the promotion is this much. Now if I want to use as much as, remember it's equal. So she deserves the promotion this much. I deserve the promotion this much. It's equal. I deserve the promotion as much as she does. Let me give you another example and then I'll get you to try your own example sentence. Okay. I could say that Jose participated in the conference as much as Maria did. Okay. So here we have amount of participation or the degree to which Maria participated and Jose participated. But you might just want to think of them in terms of amount. So Jose participated in the conference this much. I can't really make it different in sizes. This much and Maria participated in the conference this much. They're equal. Let me give you one more example and I'll make it an easy example that everyone can understand. You ate as much cake as I did. Okay. So we have the amount of cake that you ate, the amount of cake that I ate and they are equal. Right. Now look at the sentence structure. What do you notice that's a little bit different here? Hmm. You ate as much cake as I did. So notice here I've added in the something. So eight is a verb, right? But if I want to specify eight what if I want to add the something look at the placement here as much something as okay. So that's when you're including a now and the purpose of that just would be to specify eight what I could leave out cake. I can leave that something out and I could simply say I ate as much as you did. Now the only difference here is that I'm specifying cake, right? But if cake is on the table, it's obvious based on context that we're talking about cake. I don't necessarily need to include that in the sentence. But I wanted you to be aware of that sentence structure when we include a something. So now you know how to use the first meaning of as much as and remember we have two things and they are equal in amount or degree. So now it's your turn to practice. I want you to think of an example using as much as and put your example in the comments. I think you can have a lot of fun thinking of an example for this one. So put your example in the comments. Did you get it in the comments? Okay, great. Now let's move on to meaning number two as much as in our second meaning. You can think of it more in terms of although regardless of or despite how much that probably doesn't give you much information does it. So as always it's easier to just see this in an example. I could say as much as I want to stay I have to go. Notice here as much as is at the very beginning of our sentence, okay? As much as I want to stay I have to go. Now you can think of this as although although I want to stay I have to go. Now what does this mean? Basically we can think of them as two individual sentences. I want to stay I have to go, okay? Those are two individual sentences and then we're just combining them together using as much as at the very beginning. There's an easy way that this will make sense for you and that's by using but. You're most likely familiar with but is one of the first transition words that students learn. So you can think of this as I want to stay but I have to go. That could be one way that you combine these two sentences into one using the transition word but, okay? And notice there's a contrast here. I want to stay that's a positive right? I have to go that's a negative. So when we use but there's always a positive and a negative. Now we're using as much as in exactly the same way is simply the sentence structure that's changing here. So remember we're using as much as at the very beginning of the sentence as much as I want to stay comma I have to go. Another example as much as I'd love to help you I can't. Now this is a very common way that we may decline to do something politely. I'm letting you know I want to help you I can't help you. So we have that contrast right? A positive I want to help you but then we have a negative I can't help you. So we could combine those sentences with but I want to help you but I can't. That might be the more familiar structure to you. So this is just an alternative way to form that and I'll be honest it does sound more advanced using this structure. Now remember as much as at the very beginning as much as I want to help you I can't. So when you hear as much as you know that there's going to be a contrast. So when someone says as much as I want to help you even if they don't say the end part I know they're not going to help me because that's how we use as much as is with a contrast. So just keep that in mind it can be a polite way to decline doing something. For example you could use it as a polite way to decline an invitation to a party your friend invites you to a party and you can say as much as I'd love to go I can't. So as much as I'd love to that's the positive right? I want to go to the party but then the negative is I can't I'm busy I have to work I have a deadline I don't have a way to get there whatever the reason is as much as I'd love to go I can't. So that could be a polite way to decline an invitation. So now you try try using this advanced structure where you need a contrast okay and remember that placement as much as is going to be at the very beginning. So pause the video now if you need think of your example and then leave it in the comments. This is definitely an advanced structure that's going to make you sound very fluent and very advanced in English. So you need to practice this and I'm really excited to read your example in the comments. So make sure you take the time to put your example in the comments so you remember how to use this structure. Alright so now you know two different ways that you can use as much as on a daily basis in your vocabulary. Adding this to your vocabulary is really going to help you sound fluent and natural in English. That's awesome right? If you found this video helpful please hit the like button share it with your friends and of course subscribe. Now before you go make sure you head on over to my website jforsenglish.com and download your free speaking guide. In this guide I share six tips on how to speak English fluently and confidently and until next time happy studying. Way to go look at you adding this advanced expression to your vocabulary. I'm so excited to read your comments and here you practice this expression. Thanks so much for learning English with me. Can't wait to see you next time. Bye!