I have a class and need to teach ‘AS/THE WAY’ used in introducing comparative clauses.
ie:Spending time alone doesn’t bother me AS/THE WAY it did when I was younger.
This class always wants grammar rules and an explanation which I can’t find in any of my grammar books.
The only way I can think of to explain this is: AS/THE WAY = AS MUCH AS
As far as grammar rules,I’m not sure if there are any.
Can anyone shed some light on this one?[/i][/b]
It’s not “as much as”, but “in the same way that/as”
(In my opinion, that is)
This is much more a “usage” issue than a “grammar” issue.
There is a difference between “as” and “the way” in that you can use “as” to create analogies but “the way” doesn’t work.
I am as happy as a ninja in a sword factory.
I am happy the way a ninja in a sword factory.
“as” can also mean “at the same time”, while “the way” always means “in the manner of”
:blah: I talk as I post.
:loco: I talk the way I post.
“as” can also mean “to serve the function of”, “assume a role”, or “play a role”
I go to the party as Dracula.
I go to the party the way Dracula.
“the way” must be followed by a clause (essentially a complete sentence), but “as”, can be followed by just a noun phrase.
I fly the way an eagle in the sky.
I fly the way an eagle flies in the sky.
I fly as an eagle in the sky.
I fly as an eagle flies in the sky.
[quote=“R. Daneel Olivaw”]This is much more a “usage” issue than a “grammar” issue.
There is a difference between “as” and “the way” in that you can use “as” to create analogies but “the way” doesn’t work.
I am as happy as a ninja in a sword factory.
I am happy the way a ninja in a sword factory.
“as” can also mean “at the same time”, while “the way” always means “in the manner of”
:blah: I talk as I post.
:loco: I talk the way I post.
“as” can also mean “to serve the function of”, “assume a role”, or “play a role”
I go to the party as Dracula.
I go to the party the way Dracula.
“the way” must be followed by a clause (essentially a complete sentence), but “as”, can be followed by just a noun phrase.
I fly the way an eagle in the sky.
I fly the way an eagle flies in the sky.
I fly as an eagle in the sky.
I fly as an eagle flies in the sky.[/quote]
So, ‘THE WAY’ acts as a conjunction and therefore must be followed by S+V…correct?
Right.
<edited my post to make the first “Dracula” example a “thumbsup”>
Nice job with that post, R. Daneel Olivaw! 
Thanks. Most of the credit goes to the smileys though 
The earlier explanation was true but slightly off the mark, because the comparison in the original sentence isn’t between things or manners of acting. It’s between one state of affairs and its subsequent negation. The sentence
1 Spending time alone doesn't bother me as/the way it did when I was younger
simply means that I am no longer bothered by solitude. The point of saying it would be to insist that, contrary to expectation, spending time alone is fine with me now.
The way to think clearly about the idiom in this instance is to remember that both “as” and “the way” (“in the way,” actually) can simply mean “like,” as in:
2 Spending time alone doesn't bother me like it did when I was younger
Sentences 1 and 2 mean the same thing. By contrast, substituting “as much as,” which was the original poster’s suggetion, changes the meaning subtly but distinctly:
3 Spending time alone doesn't bother me as much as it did when I was younger
#3 means: Well, yes, I am still a little bothered, but not to the degree that I once was.
Note that in this instance, “the way” does not mean “in the manner of,” because the original sentence does not mean that I am bothered in a different manner. Again, it means that I am not bothered at all.