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As - So

1. In order to compare quantities, use: AS + adjective + AS ... / NOT SO + adjective + AS ...

a) This structure is the comparative (of equality) used for all adjectives, both short AND long)    = AS + adjective + AS... 

- Exercise A is as easy as B,  and as difficult as exercise C. 

b) It can also be the comparative of inequality: NOT AS / SO + adjective + AS ... (still used both for short AND long adjectives.)

- Pamela isn't as/so intelligent as her older sister but she's as hard-working as she is! 

c) When SO is an adverb, you must use it while you exclaim, to express an important intensity or quantity  in front of an adjective ( , if the adjective is followed by a noun, SUCH must then be used).

- Looking at this is so amusing and so pleasant! 

 BEWARE  : if you really want to use SO  followed by a noun in an exclamative clause, be careful of the word order.

- This is so pleasant a sight!  SO + adjective + indefinite article ( in the singular) + noun + !

This construction is very formal and used only when writing! 

2. In order to express a consequence : so  is used, especially at the beginning of clauses, and AS is used to express a cause: 

- The rain stopped, so we decided to go for a walk. 

-  As she was so unpleasant, I decided not to take her with me...

3. SO is used after such verbs as: to think, to believe, to suppose, to expect, to hope, to say and to tell + I'm afraid, in order to form elliptic propositions (or clauses) in the affirmative form.

- She'll come to help me; at least, I hope so! (= I hope she will come!) 

4.  SO THAT, SO AS TO express an aim, or a purpose: = SO AS NOT TO...

- I will keep quiet so as not to disturb the students who are working here. 

5. A few expressions:

So to speak = if I may say so...

And so on /and so forth = etc.

A month or so = about a month... 

So far = up to now, to that moment... 

So long = see you soon

Well well! Now, you're going to go egg-hunting with Lucy... She loves chocolate, and I'm sure you do too. Good luck to all of you! 

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Lucy's egg-hunt.

There were two huge pens: one for toddlers under 3 and one for big boys and girls from 3 to 6... Both places were so as toas long asnot soasI don't know attractive, because there were giant plush characters running about in each one: a red rabbit with ears so asasnot so asas long asI don't know my arms, but not quite so as strongnot strong asas strong asI don't know Kevin's, and a huge hen, looking as strangeso strangeso that strangeI don't know, with what appeared to be four legs... The big hen was so as notasso asso as tosoI don't know weird, looking like a monster, a cute one, so as toso thatso to speakso as not toI don't know, so thatnot so asso as tonot soI don't know I stopped to examine it... Dad told me that a man was hidden under the plush feathers so asso as notso as not toso thatI don't know show his legs and sneakers and so thatso as not toso as toas long asI don't know look as if the hen were hatching her egg...
In the meantime, I had already picked up several eggs and bunnies from the hay. It was so as notso thatso assoI don't know funny and it promised to be so as toso thatsoso as not toI don't know delicious... I wasn't running as fast asso as toas many assoso as not toI don't know Kevin, a very big boy, but quite so thatso longsoasso farI don't know efficiently as Claire, my friend.
Suddenly, so as tonot so asasas long asso thatI don't know the rabbits and hens were throwing as much eggs asmany so thatas many eggs asso many eggs asI don't know they could to satisfy the greedy pickers, I received a blow on my head and stopped, stunned and screaming.
A red mark, as big soso big asnot as big soso big thatas big asI don't know a 10 p coin, but large so muchlarge not aslarge so thatnot so large asI don't know a 50p one showed on my forehead. I was in tears, not so manyso big thatso farnot so muchI don't know because of the pain as because of the surprise and vexation... The big white rabbit ran to me, rubbed my forehead a little, and gave me a whole fistful of eggs big as toso as toso long toorder toI don't know comfort me. All the kids were around me and comforted me too... I was 'the Queen of the pen', the white rabbit said, and my parents said so as not tososo thatasso as toI don't know, too!