Hello! This week on
Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question about AS WELL AS.
about:
sobre, acerca de;
Question: Hi, my name
is Neethu and I am from India. I have been learning English using your programs
for several years. My question is: What is the correct meaning of AS WELL AS,
and please explain the usage in sentences. Thank you, Neethu.
several: varios;
correct meaning: significado correcto; the usage: el uso;
Answer: This is an interesting
question, Neethu! That little group of words operates in an unusual way
sometimes.
in an unusual
way: de una manera inusual; sometimes: a veces;
AS WELL / AS WELL AS / AND
As an adverb, AS WELL means “also”, “in addition” or “too.” We often place AS
WELL at the end of our sentences:
as an adverb:
como adverbio: as well: también, asimismo; at the end of: al final
de;
Thank you for meeting me today and for helping me with my errands
AS WELL.
Gracias por reunirse conmigo hoy y por ayudarme con mis diligencias TAMBIÉN.
We can also add “as” to
form the phrase AS WELL AS”. This means “in addition to” and normally serves as
a conjunction.
as well as:
así como (también), además de; normally serves as: normalmente sirve
como, hace las veces de, cumple la función de;
She studied business in college AS WELL AS art history.
Ella estudió
administración de empresas en la universidad, ASÍ COMO TAMBIÉN historia del
arte.
AND combines two nouns,
expressions, or sentences, usually of the same importance. However, a speaker
using the phrase might be bringing additional attention to the noun that comes
before AS WELL AS”.
might be bringing additional
attention to the noun that comes before
AND:
la conjunción Y; however a speaker: sin embargo un orador; might be
bringing additional attention to the noun that comes before:
On their trip to Europe, they went to Prague AS WELL AS smaller cities in Czechia.
En su viaje a Europa, ellos/ellas fueron a Praga ASÍ COMO TAMBIÉN a ciudades más pequeñas de República Checa.
SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT
Be careful when using AS WELL AS with the subject of a sentence. In this case, the phrase does not act like a normal conjunction. When we use AS WELL AS to form the subject of a sentence, English usage calls for us to pay attention to subject-verb agreement.
subject-verb agreement: concordancia de sujeto y verbo; be careful when using: ten cuidado cuando utilices; does not act like: no actúa como; calls for us to pay attention: requiere que prestemos atención;
Normally, if a subject is singular, we use a singular verb. If the subject is plural, then we use the plural form of the verb. But, in many cases, having AS WELL AS after the subject does not make the subject plural:
if a subject is singular: si el sujeto es singular; we use a singular verb: debemos usar un verbo en singular; if the subject is plural: si el sujeto es plural; we use the plural form of the verb: debemos usar la forma plural del verbo;
My cat, AS WELL AS as my dogs, plays outside in the yard every day.
Mi gato, ASÍ COMO TAMBIÉN mis perros, juega afuera en el patio todos los días.
SINGULAR SUBJECT = My cat
SINGULAR VERB = plays
If you want to include the noun “my dogs” in the subject, use “and.” Then the subject will be plural:
xx: xxx; xxx: xxx; xxx: xxx; xxx: xxx; xxx: xxx; xxx: xxx; xxx: xxx; xxx: xxx; xxx: xxx; xxx: xxx; xxx: xxx; xxx: xxx; xxx: xxx; xxx: xxx; xxx: xxx;
My cat AND my dogs play outside in the yard every day.
Mi gato Y mis perros juegan afuera en el patio todos los días.
PLURAL SUBJECT = My cat and my dogs
PLURAL VERB = play
The reason English speakers do this is complex and requires more explanation than we can provide here. Just remember that the AS WELL AS phrase is not included in the subject. Use the normal subject-verb agreement rules for the subject of the sentence.
the reason English speakers do this: la razón por la cual ls ingleses hacen esto; is complex and requires more explanation: es compleja y exige una mayor explicación; than we can provide here: de la que podemos ofrecerte aquí; just remember: use the normal subject-verb agreement rules: sólo recuerda: utiliza las reglas normales de la concordancia sujeto-verbo (más arriba explicadas).
And that’s Ask a Teacher. I’m Faith Pirlo.
