The words as and so have many different uses in English, but today we’ll look at one in which they work together to create comparisons: the as…so too sentence pattern:
As Louis aged, so too did the manner in which he was depicted.
In such constructions, as means like. and is used to compare similar things—not really stand-alone things (nouns), but rather ways, manners, times, and other abstract similarities between the two clauses (sentences):
As a person sows, so shall they reap.
As the economy grows, so too do jobs.
The first sentence, “as a person sows, so shall they reap” is a famous saying in English that means a person will reap—harvest or receive—good or bad results, depending on whether they do good or bad actions (sow means to plant seeds). The sentence compares the way in which a person sows to the way in which they reap; if they sow well, they will reap well. If they sow badly, they will reap badly. In other words, in this sentence as and so act like adverbs describing sow and reap. The sentence says that the kind or manner of sowing and reaping are the same.
In the second sentence, as and so can refer to the manner or the time of the action; while the economy grows, jobs also grow. Again, as and so act like adverbs, saying that the economy grows and jobs grow, at the same time.
In fact, we can substitute adverbs for as and so in these sentences:
The better a person sows, the better they shall reap.
The more quickly the economy grows, the more quickly jobs do too.
As and so can also be used to compare some other kinds of phrases:
As above, so below.
This is a famous saying meaning “the way things are above, so too are they below.” For example, this can mean that large things follow the same natural laws as small things. Or it could mean that when a nation has problems, so do its people. The way of things “above” is like the way of things “below.”
It is not always necessary to include words that would be the same in both of the clauses:
As governments of the world turn to more sustainable practices, so too will their people.
(i.e., So too will their people turn to more sustainable practices.)
The implied (antecedent) verb-phrase does not need to be repeated; however, it is usually necessary, or at least desirable, to use an appropriate auxiliary verb such as will, can, have, etc. or the pro-verb do.
When the subjects or predicates of the two clauses are the same, we can use a pronoun or pro-verb in the second clause:
As a nation gives, so it receives. (pronoun)
As humanity evolves, so too do individuals. (pro-verb)
Notice that it is not necessary for the subjects of the two clauses to have the same number:
As parents behave, so too will their child.
It is natural that the subjects can be different, because as and so modify the predicates, not the subjects.
The tenses of the verbs in the two clauses also do not have to be exactly the same:
As a nation grows in power, so too will its people.
But naturally, the forms of the two verbs must make sense together:
*As a nation grows in power, so too did its people.
This sentence does not work because the verb-forms do not make sense together.
In some situations, one can elide (delete) the pronouns or pro-verbs, such as in “as above, so below” which means “as it is above, so too is it below” – however, this often sounds awkward or ungrammatical to many English speakers:
*As a person sows, so reaps.
*As a nation grows, so too its people.
Although understandable, these sentences are technically ungrammatical. English does not officially allow clauses without both a subject and predicate. You will see exceptions to this rule, because it is possible to elide (skip over) words, if they are understood. However, such sentences usually sound bad to a good ear because they lack syntactic parallelism. Furthermore, they can come out as unintentionally ambiguous:
As mentors can help students challenge their limits, so too artists.
In this case, it is difficult to figure out whether the artists are being compared to the mentors or the students. If it said “so to do artists”, then it would be clear that the artists are compared to the mentors, because “do” refers to “help.” If we wanted the other meaning, we could say “so too do they for artists.” The versions with a pro-verb (and pronoun) make it easier for the reader.
Even if it is not difficult to figure out what the sentence means without a predicate, it can still sound awkward because of the syntactic ambiguity. Therefore, we recommend against using as . . . so too . . . without full clauses unless there is no syntactic ambiguity, such as in “as above, so below.”
In advanced writing, as/so sentences often serve a special purpose – comparing complex ideas with abstract similarities:
As a butterfly must go into a cocoon, dissolve, and re-form a new body in order to fly, so too a human being can retreat for a time in order to change themselves and gain new abilities.
Here, as and so compare the abstract structures of the two situations. This is a way to create metaphors and communicate highly abstract ideas.
More Examples of “As…So Too….” in a Sentence
- As the market for private equity matured, so too did its investor base.
- As the company grew, so too did their need for a larger space.
- As Louis aged, so too did the manner in which he was depicted.
- As some species became extinct, so too did the predators that depended on them.
- However, as culinary traditions in a region developed, so too did local winemaking tradition.
- As text messaging has proliferated in business, so too have regulations governing its use.
- As newspapers have lost influence, so too the features they contain.
- Injuries have undoubtedly played a big part in their fall, so too the form of senior players.
- The weir collapsed under weight of ice in 1827, so too the lock in 1866.
- Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown and so too the miter.
- “The chances of a smaller club catching them on a day when they are tired or forced to leave players out are greatly reduced. So too, the prospect of an upset.”
- “As the hours change, so, too, the moods, moving from languorous to mischievous to sorrowful and back again.”
- “As with most journals, as the number of submissions increase, so too the number of rejections.”
- “And as fast as his life bled out, so too his philosophy of nonviolent Protest.”
- “At one level, one might shrug: companies die every day; new ones are born. That is part of the dynamics of capitalism. So, too, for cities.”