grammar (comparative frame) · neutral
not so much + A + as + B
Band 5-6speakingtask2
Used to say that something is more B than A; similar to 'not A but B'.
Examples
“The problem is not so much the cost as the lack of planning.”
“It's not so much about being right as about being fair.”
“Her decision was not so much emotional as practical.”
Band 8 sentence
“In urban planning the issue is not so much a lack of funds as an absence of long-term vision.”
Collocations
- not so much a problem as a symptom
- not so much X as Y in practice
Common mistakes
not so much A than B→not so much A as B
not so much A but B→not so much A as B
Say it for a higher band
5not A but B→6more ... than ...→7+not so much + A + as + B
Synonyms
rather than
Easily confused
not only + A + but also + B
“He is not only hardworking but also creative.”
Related words
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In Comparatives
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