The captive priests drew (as) best they could from the stories

[park sang joon]

The captive priests drew as best they could from the stories, some dating back centuries, that were available to them. Their work would be described as riddled with gaps and missing key scriptures.
<Captives put together the Hebrew Bible http://www.fsmitha.com/h1/mideast3.htm>

I'd like to know why the conjunction "as" is omitted in my example without a certain cause.
Thank you in advance for your help.

 

[suzi br]

I do not think that anything is omitted. In contexts like yours "as best they could" is a set phrase, as far as I know.

 

[park sang joon]

I didn't knowㅡ as best (as) one can[may]; thank you, suzi br, for your very helpful answer.
I'd also like to know if one usually drop the latter "as" in the comparison structure "as~as~."

 

[suzi br]

I am not sure what comparison structure you are talking about. Can you give me a complete sentence to illustrate it?

LOL - I just typed that, then realised I had actually used one myself "as far as I know".

Hmmm ...

Again, this seem like set phrases to me, but perhaps it is part of a broader pattern. Try to give me some more examples, anyway.

 

[JamesM]

I didn't knowㅡ as best (as) one can[may]; thank you, suzi br, for your very helpful answer.
I'd also like to know if one usually drop the latter "as" in the comparison structure "as~as~."

If anything, the first "as" would be dropped in some cases, but not generally. For example, in casual American English you will hear: "Far as I know..." to mean "As far as I know..."

I can't think of a context where the second one is dropped.

 

[park sang joon]

Thank you suzi br and JamesM for your sincere concern.

Try to give me some more examples, anyway.

I meant general oens like the following.
2. Sally is not as tall (as) her brother.

I can't think of a context where the second one is dropped.

But I have seen those cases several times.

Then, I'd like to know if I can omit the second "as" only in certain cases regarded as the set phrasesㅡ as~as possible, as best as~, and so on.

 

[JamesM]

"Sally is not as tall her brother" does not make sense in English.

Please give us real-life examples where the second "as" is dropped. I would be very interested in seeing them. "As best she could" is a particular use of "best" and is not a shortening of "As best as she could", which doesn't make sense. It would be "as well as she could". "As best she could" is an idiomatic phrase in English.

 

[park sang joon]

I'm so sorry JamesM; I took being able to omit the whole clause for only the second "as."
1. I tried to be as strong and controlled (as they are).
2. I wish I were (just) as smart (as he is).

 

[suzi br]

Are you clear on this now?

 

[park sang joon]

Yes, thank you for your sincere concern.