Comparatives: she is as good a dancer as her mother

[Barrett]

Dear friends at UsingEnglish Forum,
I have a question concerning comparatives.
I've found out that you frequently use the construction "as + adjective + a(n) + substantive + as" to compare things or people.

e.g. She is as good a dancer as her mother

I've read that this is only possibile with singular nouns.
How could I transform the above mentioned sentence into plural (they are... as their parents) to express the same comparison?
e.g. they are as good dancers as their parents ---> is that correct?
Thank you very much indeed for your help.

[Raymott]

e.g. they are as good dancers as their parents ---> is that correct?
Thank you very much indeed for your help.

Yes, you can say it that way.

[Nightmare85]

She is as good a dancer as her mother

This is really correct?That would surprise me a bit...

Greets

[bhaisahab]

She is as good a dancer as her mother

This is really correct?That would surprise me a bit...

Greets

Yes it is correct. Why does that surprise you?

[Nightmare85]

Okay.
It surprises me because I never read something like that.
Either as adjective as or a adjective noun as.
I drive as well as my father.
I'm a good driver as my father.
(Just 2 examples.)

Thanks for the information.

Greets

[bhaisahab]

Okay.
It surprises me because I never read something like that.
Either as adjective as or a adjective noun as.
I drive as well as my father.
I'm a good driver as my father.
(Just 2 examples.)

Thanks for the information.

Greets

I am as good a driver as my father. (I am as adjective indefinite article noun as my father).

[Barrett]

Yes, you can say it that way.

Hello Raymott,
I'm a bit confused, because some British teachers at our course have told a friend of mine that it's not correct and that the sentence needs to be re-ordered this way: As dancers, they are as good as their parents.
Is it just a matter of style?

[bhaisahab]

Dear friends at UsingEnglish Forum,
I have a question concerning comparatives.
I've found out that you frequently use the construction "as + adjective + a(n) + substantive + as" to compare things or people.

e.g. She is as good a dancer as her mother

I've read that this is only possibile with singular nouns.
How could I transform the above mentioned sentence into plural (they are... as their parents) to express the same comparison?
e.g. they are as good dancers as their parents ---> is that correct?
Thank you very much indeed for your help.

Hello Raymott,
I'm a bit confused, because some British teachers at our course have told a friend of mine that it's not correct and that the sentence needs to be re-ordered this way: As dancers, they are as good as their parents.
Is it just a matter of style?

I would say it's a matter of style, while "..they are as good dancers as their parents.." is correct, I find it clumsy, I prefer the example given by your teachers. You could also say it this way: 'They are as good at dancing as their parents'.

[Raymott]

Hello Raymott,
I'm a bit confused, because some British teachers at our course have told a friend of mine that it's not correct and that the sentence needs to be re-ordered this way: As dancers, they are as good as their parents.
Is it just a matter of style?

I'll admit that I had to think about this before advising you that it was correct.
Even though such a sentence would usually be reworded, it's not a rare construction in AusE, and it doesn't sound strange to me. It's less common than the singular version though.

A: Why do you go to the hospital instead of the medical centre?
B: Wouldn't the doctors at the hospital be better?
Ai: No, they're as good doctors at the medical centre.
Aii: No, the doctors at the medical centre as just as good.

Aii is more common, but Ai is not wrong (imo).

[Barrett]

Thank you very much indeed to all of you for the suggestions.
This is really useful to me and I couldn't have found such indepth remarks in any grammar!