How to Use AS WELL and AS WELL AS Correctly? | What's the Difference Between 'As Well' and 'As Well As'?
AS WELL vs AS WELL AS
'As well' is a phrase used as an Adverb which means 'Also', 'Too' or 'In addition'. We usually use 'as well' at the end of a clause. On the other hand, 'As well as' is a multi-word Conjunction or a Preposition which means 'And in addition' or 'In addition to (Besides)'
Now let's have a look at the sentences given below:
1) I'm learning English, and French as well.
2) Your father is coming as well.
3) I'm feeling tired, and dizzy as well.
4) I'm going to London and to Cambridge as well.
5) He is brave as well as loyal.
6) The teachers, as well as the students, are ready.
7) John has invited Tom as well as Jane. [It means: John has invited not only Jane but also Tom.]
8) John and his brothers like having fruits as well as drinking hot water in the morning.
9) I'm going to Switzerland, as well as France, on our vacation.
10) Tom is studying English and History, as well as Geography.
11) We have a responsibility to our community as well as to our families.
12) I'm learning French as well as English. [I'm learning not only English but also French.]
13) I'm an English teacher as well as an application developer.
14) Tom as well as John is learning English.
15) He is a singer as well as a good writer.
16) John, as well as Tom, wants to go to London. [It means: Not only Tom but also John wants to go to London.]
17) She is greedy as well as dishonest. [She is not only dishonest but also greedy.]
18) Animals, as well as plants, need water to survive.
1) Many people think that the conjunction 'As well as' is equivalent to 'And'. But this is not correct. The conjunction 'And' joins two or more elements of equal importance in a sentence, but the conjunction 'As well as' joins elements which may not have equal importance in a sentence.
For example,
a) The girl is intelligent and charming. (The girl is both intelligent and charming.) [In this example, both the words 'intelligent' and 'charming' have equal importance in the sentence. There is no emphasis on either of the two words 'intelligent' and 'charming'.]
Now look at the following example,
b) The girl is intelligent as well as charming. (The girl is not only charming but also intelligent.) [In this sentence, the two words 'intelligent' and 'charming' don't have equal importance in the sentence. The word 'charming' has more importance than the word 'intelligent' in the sentence.]
2) According to the standard English grammar rule, when two subjects are joined by 'as well as' or 'with', the verb should follow the first subject.
For example,
Tom, as well as you, is running. [Correct]
Or,
Tom as well as John is running. [Correct]
But,
Tom as well as John are running. [Incorrect]
And,
The teacher with his students is busy. [Correct]
Or,
The teacher and his students are busy. [Correct]
But,
The teacher with his students are busy. [Incorrect]
More Examples
1) Tom as well as John is learning English. [Correct]
And,
Tom and John are learning English. [Correct]
But,
Tom as well as John are learning English. [Incorrect]
2) John and Jane are coming. [Correct]
And,
John as well as Jane is coming. [Correct]
But,
John as well as Jane are coming. [Incorrect]
* 'As well' is more common in British English and less common in American English than 'Too'.
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