(~er, ~est)
Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.
1.
If something is going to happen ~, it will happen after a short time. If something happened ~ after a particular time or event, it happened a short time after it.
You’ll be hearing from us very ~...
This chance has come ~er than I expected...
The plane was returning to the airport ~ after takeoff when it burst into flames...
Soon afterwards he separated from his wife.
ADV: ADV with v, ADV after n/cl, ADV afterwards
2.
If you say that something happens as ~ as something else happens, you mean that it happens immediately after the other thing.
As ~ as relations improve they will be allowed to go...
You’ll never guess what happened as ~ as I left my room.
PHRASE
3.
If you say that you would just as ~ do something or you’d just as ~ do it, you mean that you would prefer to do it.
These people could afford to retire to Florida but they’d just as ~ stay put...
I’d just as ~ not have to make this public...
I’d just as ~ you put that thing away...
She’d just as ~ throw your plate in your face as serve you.
PHRASE: MODAL inf, MODAL not inf, MODAL that, MODAL inf as inf