Advanced Lesson 2 -
The Wisdom of Jesus
Grammar Exercise
This is the fifth part of Advanced Lesson 2, or you can do it as an individual grammar lesson.
“Nothing But” and Similar Structures
Sentences containing “nothing but” are very common. “Nothing but” means “only,” and it is often used to strongly express the negative aspect of something. It might help to consider “nothing but” to mean “nothing except.”
Here is a verse from the passage that contains “nothing but”:
- You’re nothing but show-offs! First, take the log out of your own eye; then you can see how to take the speck out of your friend’s eye. (Matthew 7:5 CEV, bold added)
This sentence means that those who focus on others’ faults without recognizing their own are only show-offs and nothing else. In other words, they are nothing except show-offs.
Here are more verses containing “nothing but” from the Bible.
- The king replied, “You are lazy—nothing but lazy! That’s why you keep asking me to let you go and sacrifice to your Lord.” (Exodus 5:17 CEV, bold added)
- Ever since you told me to speak to the king, he has caused nothing but trouble for these people…” (Exodus 5:23 CEV, bold added)
- There you will have to worship gods made of wood and stone, and these are nothing but idols that can’t see or hear or eat or smell. (Deuteronomy 4:28 CEV, bold added)
Other Expressions With “But”
Other expressions that are structurally similar to “nothing but” are “anything but,” “everything but” and “all but.” The words “anything,” “everything,” and “all” can have similar meanings, but these expressions with “but” do not mean the same thing.
1. Anything But
“Anything but” means “not at all” or “in no way.” It is used to express the negative aspect of something.
- The news story was anything but true.
This means that the news story was not true at all. - I was anything but happy to learn about their engagement.
This means that I was not happy at all to learn about their engagement.
2. Everything But
“Everything but” is more straightforward, and it means “everything except.”
- It was such a feast. I ate everything but peas.
3. All But
“All but” can also mean “all except” when the expression is followed by a person or thing. If it is followed by an adjective, it means “almost” or “nearly.”
- David captured 1,000 chariots, 7,000 chariot drivers, and 20,000 soldiers. And he crippled all but 100 of the horses. (1 Chronicles 18:4 CEV, bold added)
This sentence means that David crippled almost all the horses except 100. Now let’s look at a verse where it is followed by an adjective.
- He was all but dead when we found him.
In this sentence, “all but” is an adverb meaning “nearly,” or “almost.”
These structures may be a bit confusing at first, but just like any new expressions you encounter, the more you study, the better you’ll be at using them!
As___As
In the text from this lesson, there are two sentences containing “as __ as.” Look at these sentences:
- God will be as hard on you as you are on others! He will treat you exactly as you treat them. (Matthew 7:2 CEV, bold added)
- As bad as you are, you still know how to give good gifts to your children. But your heavenly Father is even more ready to give good things to people who ask. (Matthew 7:11, bold added)
Sentence 1 contains the comparative form of “as ___ as,” indicating equal quality. It compares what you do to what God does. If you are hard on others, God will be equally as hard on you.
However, sentence 2 is different. It begins with “as ___ as,” but it does not compare “you” with anyone else. Instead, it means something like “even though you are bad, you still know how to give good gifts to your children.” So in this sentence, “as ___ as” means “although,” or “despite the fact that…” This is probably the way “as__as” is used most of the time.
More Examples of As___As
Here are some more examples:
- As much as I hate to admit it, my initial assumption about him was wrong.
This means although I really hate to admit it, my initial assumption about him was wrong. - As tiring as the trip was, we enjoyed it very much.
This means despite the fact that the trip was tiring, we enjoyed it very much.
3 Expressions Using As___As
Let’s look at three fixed expressions that contain “as ___ as.” These may appear at the beginning of a sentence. They are fixed phrases with fixed meanings.
1. As Soon As
“As soon as” means “immediately at” or “immediately after.” Here are a couple of examples from the Bible:
- He struck the water with the coat and wondered, “Will the Lord perform miracles for me as he did for Elijah?” As soon as Elisha did this, a dry path opened up through the water, and he walked across. (2 Kings 2:14 CEV, bold added)
- As soon as he spoke the world was created; at his command, the earth was formed. (Psalm 33:9 CEV, bold added)
2. As Long As
“As long as” can also have different meanings. The first meaning is relatively easy. It means “during the time that.” Look at this sample verse:
- As long as Jehoiachin lived, he was paid a daily allowance to buy whatever he needed. (2 Kings 25:30 CEV, bold added)
The second meaning of “as long as” is “on the condition that.”
- But I don’t care what happens to me, as long as I finish the work the Lord Jesus gave me to do… (Acts 20:24 CEV, bold added)
3. As Far As [Someone] Is Concerned
The expression “as far as someone is concerned,” means “according to what someone thinks.” Look at these verses:
- As far as you are concerned, evil people are garbage, and so I follow your rules. (Psalm 119:119 CEV, bold added)
In this sentence, “as far as you are concerned,” means “according to God” since “you” refers to God.
Here’s another example that refers to God:
- As far as the Lord is concerned, men and women need each other.
(1 Corinthians 11:11 CEV, bold added)
4. (Bonus Expression!) As Surely As
The expression “as surely as” isn’t common in everyday conversations, but it is used frequently in the Bible. “As surely as” means “because it is true that” or “surely.” It does not mean “although” or “despite the fact that.” Don’t worry! With practice, you’ll soon be using all these expressions without giving it much thought.
- As surely as we died with Christ, we believe we will also live with him.
(Romans 6:8 CEV, bold added)
Keep Practicing!
As you can see, “as ___ as” is a common structure in the English language. However, the meaning can be quite different depending on the words inside “as ___ as.” It also depends on where the expression appears within a sentence.
“As” is a short word that has so many uses and meanings. Keep an eye out for this short word! Learn as much as you can about how it is used in various sentences. (Did you notice “as much as” in the sentence above? 😊)
Here’s an online worksheet from ISL Collective that you can use to practice using as__as to compare two things. This is the most common way to use as__as. Give it a try!
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