may as well ... as ...

[Progress]

I would like to ask native speakers of English the follwoing thing

I would like to know the meaning of the sentence taht you may as well do it at once as put it off. Compared to "you may as well throw your money away as buy such a thing ( I know thins meaning ), the part do it at once comes to the place "throw your money away." Some books say in this part what you don't usually do comes to exagerate the phrase after the second "as," so usually it means not a good thing. So, I guess my question sentece mens both to put it off and to do it at once are bad things and the sentence means you should have done it much earlier??? Of just you should do it right away, not put it off??

Thank you very much.

[louhevly]

I would like to ask native speakers of English the follwoing thing

I would like to know the meaning of the sentence taht you may as well do it at once as put it off. Compared to "you may as well throw your money away as buy such a thing ( I know thins meaning ), the part do it at once comes to the place "throw your money away." Some books say in this part what you don't usually do comes to exagerate the phrase after the second "as," so usually it means not a good thing. So, I guess my question sentece mens both to put it off and to do it at once are bad things and the sentence means you should have done it much earlier??? Of just you should do it right away, not put it off??

Thank you very much.

For me, with "you may as well do it at once as put it off", there is a comparison between what the speaker thinks you should do ("do it at once") and a less desirable alternative ("put it off"), implying too that the first desirable alternative is just as easy to do as the second. It's another way of saying "You should do it at once".

The case of "you may as well throw your money away as buy such a thing" is different. Here an obviously absurd first alternative is being contrasted with what the speaker thinks you shouldn't do.

Lou

[David L.]

I'm as puzzled as you are Progress. It says, 'it doesn't matter whether you do it now or later', but to use the 'may as well (do) as .." construction is most odd.
A less ambiguous phrasing would have been:

You may as well do it at once rather than put it off, (and get it over with.)

[Progress]

Thank you extremely very much, louhevly, I see and I thought it might have another way of the "throw your money away one," and David L, for I have know the better sentence that You may as well do it at once rather than put it off, (and get it over with.)

Ohter two questions, do you say it is getting to rain? Does it mean it is about to rain or it is starting to rain? Do you use "used to do" with "before" as "I used to read five books a week (before) but I don't?" I think it is gramatically OK but redundant.

[louhevly]

Ohter two questions, do you say it is getting to rain? Does it mean it is about to rain or it is starting to rain?

No and no.

Do you use "used to do" with "before" as "I used to read five books a week (before) but I don't?" I think it is gramatically OK but redundant.

I don't. For me "before" would have to have a complement:
"I used to read five books a week before I got a TV."

[David L.]

The two expressions are, 'it's starting to rain'
and
'it's getting on to rain'. This is now a bit out of date, but implies that very dark clouds are forming, or other signs meaning it's definitely going to rain.

[Progress]

Thank you very much, louhevly and David L.