'As long as Vs So long as'

[rahul.manhat]

Hello Instructors,

Could you please let me know the difference between 'As long as' and 'so long as' ? also which one is preferred?

Thanks in advance for your answers.

[tim]

I'll be happy to help if you can provide a reference to any GMAT question where this distinction is at issue. If there are no problems that make use of this distinction, the good news is you don't have to worry about this issue!

[rahul.manhat]

Sure! 'So long as' is part of the question D42 page 42 in the OG 13.
While thinking about this problem, I tried relating it with 'as long as' and then I could not differentiate between the two. In future if I ever have to make such a comparison, which one should I choose ?

[jlucero]

Note that in that question, there is no split between "so long as" vs "as long as". The difference in meaning is so subtle, I would highly doubt the GMAT would test the difference. However, "as long as" would probably be more likely to show a time interval whereas "so long as" is more of a condition.

I will sit here as long as (for the amount of time) it takes for you to understand the answer.
I will stop talking so long as (with the understanding that) you understand the answer.

Again, I think that this idiom is too subtle to be tested on the GMAT, because I could technically say that I will stop talking as long as you understand the answer: I'll start talking again once you no longer understand the answer.

[rahul.manhat]

got it.Thank you Joe!

[jlucero]

Glad it helped!