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"So far we have used things like old car tires and rope, but we have a plan to carry out a more detailed study to test out a variety of artificial structures and see whether the sea creatures in the harbor find these as attractive a home as the rubble of the past. "

Source : Oxford grammar book

The sentence "find these as attractive a home as the rubble of the past" is so confusing that I cannot figure out what does it mean?

Could you please explain in more details?

Is there 'a fixed rule' for the following pattern: "As + adjective + noun +as "

As I don't want to only memorize .I also want to know in more details to be able to understand such forms whenever I come across such structures.

Can I rewrite the sentence as following?

"So far we have used things like old car tires and rope, but we have a plan to carry out a more detailed study to test out a variety of artificial structures and see whether the sea creatures in the harbor find these a home that is as attractive as the rubble of the past. "

Thanks

Mickey Mouse
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1 Answers1

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... as ADJ a NOUN as {complement}

... as big a house as {complement}

... as big a house as theirs.

... as big a house as money can buy.

... as big a house as is needed for a family with six kids.

... as big a house as always.

... as attractive a home as the rubble of the past.

CLUNKY PARAPHRASES:

The home is as attractive as the rubble of the past is attractive.

The home's attractiveness = the attractiveness of the past's rubble

TimR
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  • What does the phrase attractiveness of the past's rubble mean? I couldn't understand it. Could you please explain? – Omkar Reddy Oct 13 '16 at 15:54
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    Sea creatures have made homes in the rubble of the past (historical times) which fell or was dumped into the sea. Will today's junk prove to be just as attractive to them? – TimR Oct 13 '16 at 16:04
  • After reading the context in the actual source, I came to know the meaning of it. Thank you. – Omkar Reddy Oct 13 '16 at 16:14