Remain as vs. Remain – Which is Correct?
“Remain” is the standard verb meaning stay, continue, or be left. “Remain as” is also correct when “as” introduces a role, identity, condition, or comparison: “She remained as manager.” Use “remain” alone for staying, and “remain as” when specifying what someone or something continues to be in a particular context.
remain as or remain – Which is Correct?
Both remain and remain as are correct, but they serve different grammatical purposes. Remain means to stay in a place, continue in a state, or be left behind. Remain as means to continue in a particular role, identity, form, condition, or relationship.
Use remain when no specific identity or role follows:
“Please remain seated.”
Use remain as when as introduces what someone or something continues to be:
“She remained as chairperson for another year.”
The Best Trick to Remember the Difference
Use the role-or-identity test. If you can replace as with “in the role of,” “in the form of,” or “in the condition of,” use remain as. If the sentence simply means “stay,” “continue,” or “be left,” use remain alone.
For example, “He remained as director” means “He continued in the role of director.” However, “He remained at home” simply means “He stayed at home,” so adding as would be incorrect.
| Word | Part of Speech | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| remain as | Verb phrase | Continue in a particular role, identity, form, or condition | She remained as team leader. |
| remain | Verb | Stay, continue, or be left | Only two guests remained. |
How to Use remain as
Remain as is a valid verb phrase used when a person or thing continues to occupy a role, maintain an identity, retain a form, or exist in a particular condition. It is more specific than remain because it identifies what the subject continues to be.
This phrase is common in formal, professional, academic, and administrative writing. It often appears before a job title, category, description, or noun phrase. In some sentences, especially before a simple job title, omitting as may sound more natural: “She remained chairperson.” However, “She remained as chairperson” is also acceptable when emphasizing continuity in that role.
Example 1: The board asked him to remain as treasurer until the audit was complete.
Example 2: Despite the merger, the company remained as an independent subsidiary.
Example 3: The old building remained as a reminder of the town’s industrial past.
Etymology of the phrase remain as
The phrase remain as combines remain, which comes through Anglo-French and Old French from Latin remanēre, meaning “to stay behind,” with the preposition and conjunction as. In this construction, as developed the sense of “in the role, form, or condition of.”
How to Use remain
Remain is a verb meaning to stay in a place, continue in a particular state, or be left after others have gone or after something has been removed. It can describe people, objects, facts, problems, feelings, and situations.
The word is neutral in tone but appears especially often in formal, academic, journalistic, and professional writing. In casual conversation, stay is frequently more natural when referring to a person’s location. For example, “Please stay here” sounds more conversational than “Please remain here.”
Example 1: Please remain in your seats until the aircraft has stopped.
Example 2: Several questions remain about the proposed policy.
Example 3: After the guests left, only the host remained.
What are the different forms of remain?
Remain is a regular verb. Its main forms are:
- Base form: remain
- Third-person singular present: remains
- Past tense: remained
- Past participle: remained
- Present participle: remaining
Examples include “The issue remains unresolved,” “The guests remained outside,” and “She is remaining calm.” The phrase remain as uses the same verb forms: remains as, remained as, and remaining as.
Etymology of the word remain
Remain entered English through Anglo-French and Middle English from the Old French remaindre or remanoir. These forms derive from the Latin verb remanēre, meaning “to stay behind” or “to remain.” The Latin roots are re-, meaning “back,” and manēre, meaning “to stay.”
Related Concepts
Understanding verb complements and linking constructions makes the difference between remain and remain as easier to recognize.
- Linking verbs: A linking verb connects a subject with a description, identity, or condition. In sentences such as “The problem remains difficult,” remains links the subject to the adjective difficult.
- Prepositional complements: The word as can introduce a role, function, or identity. In “She remained as director,” as director explains the capacity in which she continued.
- Subject complements: A subject complement gives more information about the subject after a linking verb. “The room remained quiet” uses quiet as a subject complement.
- Stative verbs: Remain commonly describes an ongoing state rather than a physical action, as in “The evidence remains important.”
Examples from Media and Literature
The distinction appears in many kinds of public and creative language. The following examples show how writers and speakers use each construction naturally:
- News reporting: “Several major questions remain after the investigation.” Here, remain means that the questions are still unresolved.
- Historical writing: “The monument remained as a symbol of reconciliation.” The phrase remained as identifies the continuing symbolic role.
- Film dialogue: “Remain where you are until help arrives.” This formal command means “stay where you are.”
- Literary description: “The forest remained silent after the storm.” The verb connects the forest with its continuing condition.
- Business writing: “The founder will remain as chief executive during the transition.” The phrase identifies the role the founder will continue to hold.
Practice Exercises
Choose the correct option, remain or remain as, to complete each sentence.
- The students were asked to ______ quiet during the examination.
- She will ______ as department head until a replacement is appointed.
- Several seats ______ available near the front of the theater.
- The historic theater ______ as an important cultural landmark.
- Guests must ______ inside the building during the emergency.
Answer Key
- remain — The sentence means “stay quiet.”
- remain as — The phrase introduces her continuing role.
- remain — The seats continue to be available.
- remain as — The theater continues in the role of a cultural landmark.
- remain — The sentence means “stay inside.”
remain as Synonyms
| Synonym | Definition |
|---|---|
| continue as | Keep holding a role, position, or identity |
| stay in the role of | Continue performing a particular function or job |
| retain the identity of | Continue to be recognized as a particular person or thing |
| persist as | Continue to exist in a particular form or capacity |
remain Synonyms
| Synonym | Definition |
|---|---|
| stay | Continue to be in a place or condition |
| continue | Keep existing or happening |
| persist | Continue despite difficulty or opposition |
| endure | Last over a period of time |
| be left | Continue to exist after others have gone or been removed |
Frequently Asked Questions
Question 1: Is “remain as” grammatically correct?
Yes. “Remain as” is correct when as introduces a role, identity, form, or condition that continues. For example, “He remained as editor for five years.”
Question 2: Should I say “remain as manager” or “remain manager”?
Both can be correct. “Remain manager” is often more concise, while “remain as manager” emphasizes continuing in the role. In formal writing, choose the version that best matches the intended emphasis and the style of the surrounding sentence.
Question 3: Is “remain” more formal than “stay”?
Usually, yes. Remain is common in formal instructions, reports, and academic writing, while stay is generally more conversational. The two words are interchangeable in many contexts, but not in every expression.
Conclusion
Both remain and remain as are correct. Use remain to mean stay, continue, or be left, and use remain as when naming the role, identity, form, or condition that continues. Pro Tip: Choosing the precise construction improves clarity and helps your professional writing appear polished and credible.
