Grammar-Quizzes › Clauses › Comparative Clauses › Like vs. As
Like vs. As
Express description or manner
My friend Evan is a lot like me. Often, he thinks the same way as I do. We often think of ideas at the same time. Some people say that he sounds like me when we are talking on the phone. We have known each other so long that I think of him as a brother.
My real brother William is not like me at all. He is as smart as a fox, but he is not very easy to talk to. Talking to him is like talking to a wall. He behaves as if I were not there. He thinks I am too young too understand whatever he is thinking about.
Express Description with Like vs. As
| LIKE –DESCRIPTION |
|---|
Like expresses "of the same form, appearance, kind or character". It mostly occurs with "be" or a static verb. Like is complemented (completed) by words that express a comparative description; together they form a prepositional phrase, which completes the meaning expressed by the subject and predicate. |
| LIKE + NOUN PHRASE |
My friend is like me. [like me = prep phrase] My friend is like a brother. (brother-like, brotherly) He is smart like a fox. (modifies smart) |
He acts like a brother to me. He acts more like a brother than like a friend. (more…than) He looks very like me. somewhat, quite, completely (degree adv) |
| LIKE + GERUND CLAUSE |
Talking to him is like talking to a wall. (nonfinite clause)
|
| AS –DESCRIPTION |
|---|
As is not typically used to express a description. The exception is in as…as or same…as expressions. There are some archaic or Biblical examples with as use with "be". |
| AS + NOUN PHRASE (NOT USED) |
——— * My friend is as me. (*not used with "be") ~ He is as a brother to me. (archaic) |
——— ——— Except: He is as smart as a fox . (See as…as comparison.) |
| AS + GERUND CLAUSE |
~ Talking to him is as if talking to a wall. ~ Talking to him is as though talking to a wall. |
*not used / ~uncommon usage
complement – words that are necessary to complete the meaning, for example, *My friend is like. (incomplete) My friend is like me. (complete because "me" completes "like", or we could also say that "like me" completes "My friend is".
static verb (stative verb) — act, appear, become, look, seem, etc.
as if – a double preposition that expresses comparison (as) and manner. He acts as if he were the king.→ He acts in a manner similar to the king, but he is not the king. (were – the subjunctive verb form expresses an unreal situation)
as though (PP) — a double preposition that expresses comparison (as) and manner He acts as though he is/were the king. → He acts in a manner similar to the king. A subjunctive verb may be required after when an imaginary situation is being expressed. See Pop-Q Seems Like.
Like vs. As
Express manner
Express Manner with Like vs. As
| LIKE–MANNER |
|---|
Like expresses "in the manner". In traditional grammar, it is followed by a noun phrase [like + NP]. That is, using like + clause is considered informal. However, language usage dating back to the14th century and current usage does not support this rule. In current linguistic description, like is a preposition that occurs with a noun, noun phrase or a clause. |
| LIKE + NOUN PHRASE |
¹ My friend speaks like me. (like + N [pronoun]) ¹ He speaks like a politician. (like + NP) |
| LIKE + CLAUSE |
¹ My friend thinks like I do. (like + shortened clause) ¹ He treats me like we are bothers. "as if" ¹ He treats me like he has known me all my life. "as if" ¹ It seems like we have known each other forever. |
| LIKE + PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE |
* He treats me like if he has known me a long time. * We behave like though we were two brothers. |
| AS –MANNER |
|---|
As expresses "in the manner". In traditional grammar, as is a conjunction which takes a clause as its complement. In linguistic analysis, as is a connective preposition that mainly accepts a clause or prep phrase as its complement. Note the verb in the main clause is dynamic, and the verb in the clause after as is shortened to the auxiliary or just the subject. |
| AS + NOUN PHRASE (NOT USED) |
* My friend speaks as me. (like + NP) ~ He speaks as a brother to me. (archaic) |
| AS + TRUNCATED CLAUSE |
My friend thinks as *I / I do. (as + shortened clause) He acts more as a brother / as a brother does. They speak as politicians do. It seems as we have known each other forever. (as if, as though) |
| AS + PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE |
² He treats me as if he has known me a long time. (if connective prep.) ³ We behave as though we were two brothers. (though connective prep.) |
*not used / ~uncommonly used / N – noun; NP – noun phrase; Adj – adjective; Adv – adverb
archaic (Adj) – old usage, biblical usage
as…as – is a paired expression that places two items in equal status. See as…as.
reduced clause – also called "truncated" when only the auxiliary verb is retained from the complete verb.
¹ Traditional grammar describes this usage as informal. Current linguistic description, does not. Read "Grammarian Opinions" in Grammar Notes below.
² as if – a double preposition that expresses comparison (as) and manner. He acts as if he were the king.→ He acts in a manner similar to the king, but he is not the king. (were – the subjunctive verb expresses an unreal situation)
³ as though (PP) — a double preposition that expresses comparison (as) and manner He acts as though he is/were the king. → He acts in a manner similar to the king. A subjunctive verb may be required after when an imaginary situation is being expressed. See Pop-Q Seems Like.
Should I use like or as?
Using like or as depends on which grammar system is appropriate for your audience (readers). In traditional grammar, "like" is a preposition, and a preposition should be followed by an accusative noun, not a clause. However, in more recent linguistic analysis (Huddleston et.al. 2002), "like" and "as" are both analyzed as prepositions. And the complements that the category Preposition can accept (be followed by) has been widened to a variety of structures: words, phrases and clause.
See contextual usage: Pop-Q Seems Like | Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA). Brigham Young U, 2013, corpus.byu.edu/coca.
See structures that can follow a preposition: Preposition Uses | Prepositional Complements.
See grammarian's opinions: Grammar Notes below: Fowler "like" 458; Garner "Like as a conjunction" 512; Huddleston 13 5§6.2; and Swan "like and as: similarity, function" 74.3, 326.
Like
Additional Meanings
Like — other meanings
| VARIANT MEANING | EXAMPLES |
|---|---|
OF THE SAME FORM |
I haven't seen a like model. We collect trains, cars, buses and like models. (Adj) |
OF THE SAME FORM, KIND, OR CHARACTER |
I haven't seen its like. We collect model t trains, cars, buses and the like. (N) |
CHARACTERISTIC |
It would be like him to forget my birthday. (PP) |
SIMILAR OR COMPARABLE |
There is nothing like a tall cold drink. (PP) |
EXAMPLE |
You could take up a hobby, like fishing, hiking or cycling. (PP) |
SIMILAR OR COMPARABLE |
He was a hippie-like guy with a tie-dye T-shirt. "hippy-ish" (Adj) |
INCLINED |
Do you feel like going to a movie? (idiom–PP) |
PROMISE / INDICATIVE |
It (the sky) looks like rain today. (idiom–PP) |
REQUEST-PREFER |
I'd like you to come with us. (idiom–"would prefer") |
EXPRESS APPROVAL, SUPPORT |
I liked her on Facebook. (V) |
FIND AGREEABLE |
I don't love her, but I do like her . (V) |
SUIT YOUR PREFERENCE |
You can come or you can go as you like. (idiom–P) |
PROBABLY |
You will likely see him soon (Adv) |
EQUALLY |
Our mother treated us alike. (Adv) |
SAME OR SIMILAR |
Identical twins look alike. (Adj) |
Adj – adjective; Adv – adverb; N – noun; P – preposition; PP – prepositional phrase
FACTUALITY AND AGAINST EXPECTATION [modal] |
There were people there who were like shouting and screaming. "actually" (McWhorter "reinforcing 'like' ") |
SOFTENS UNWELCOME NEWS [comment] |
This is, like, the only way to make it work. "I regret to say" (McWhorter "cushioning 'like") |
HESITATOR [uh.. or well...] |
We were more... like... borrowing his car. "how should I say this" (This could also be understood as "I regret to say".) |
ATTENTION GETTER [interjection] |
Like, has anyone seen my mobile phone lying around? |
QUOTE SPEECH [verb] |
He's like, "You're totally wrong, " and I'm like, "No, way!" ("relates or says") |
AN EQUAL (idiom) |
We haven't seen the likes of him before. ("anything/anyone of similar character") |
AS IF |
I felt like I could stay there forever. ("in my imagination") |
Pop-Q Like "I regret to say"
Pop-Q Like "said"
Pop-Q Like "like I was" (similar manner) and "as if"
See Grammar Notes below for resources.
As
Additional Meanings
As – other meanings
| VARIANT MEANING | EXAMPLES |
|---|---|
EXAMPLE |
Some flowers, as the rose, require a lot of care. (PP) |
CONSIDERED TO BE |
We view the church and state as two separate entities. (PP) |
IN THE MANNER |
He paid for the room and dinner as agreed. "as we had agreed" (PP) |
AT THE TIME |
Please pay as you leave. (PP) |
WITH THE PURPOSE |
The speaker spoke so convincingly as to rally everyone to unite. (PP) |
REGARDING |
He discussed plans as to how he would unite everyone. (PP) |
SINCE / BECAUSE |
As you are up, will you please get me a glass of water. (PP) |
THOUGH |
Smart as he may be, he forgot to consider his own weaknesses. (PP) |
IN THE MANNER |
I have had the same problem as you have. (PP) |
TO THE EXTENT (idiom) |
As far as I know, we still aren't done yet. (Adv—PP) |
WHILE (idiom) |
As long as he is here, we'll never have peace! (Adv—PP) |
IN ITS CURRENT CONDITION, non-negotiable, no-guarantee condition |
I bought the car as is. (PP) |
ALSO (idiom) |
They are resourceful, intelligent as well as compassionate. (Adv—PP) |
IN RESPECT TO (idiom) |
As for traveling to the war-zone, I wouldn't advise it. (Double PP) |
BEGINNING / ENDING (idiom) |
As of April 1st, we are no longer accepting credit cards. (Double PP) |
NO CHANCE (idiom) |
As if! ("in your/his/her/their dreams") |
Common Mistakes
Errors and Solutions
Error and Solution
| ERROR |
|---|
*He look likes a tired old dog. |
*It was like though she thought she was a queen. |
| SOLUTION |
|---|
He looks like a tired old dog. look is a verb, like is a preposition A verb (not a preposition) can take 3rd person singular form. |
It was as if she thought she were a queen. "As" and "like" are not interchangeable before "if"; use the subjunctive verb form in a hypothetical statement (e.g., was → were). |
Pop-Q "Like v. As"| Pop-Q Looks like | Pop-Q Seems like
Grammar Notes (Advanced)
Traditional and Linguistic Description
Traditional and Linguistic Descriptions
| TRADITIONAL DESCRIPTION |
|---|
Swan's Practical English Usage (2009) specifies the grammar terms (Swan 326.1 – 3) LIKE — preposition My pen is like your pen. My sister looks like me. (not *as me.) [like + noun/pronoun] He ran like like the wind. (not *as the wind.) [like + noun] He behaves like his father does. informal usage [like + clause] AS — conjunction Nobody knows her as I do. [as + clause] In 1939, as in 1914, everybody seemed to want war. [as + preposition]
Merriam-Webster "like" is a preposition, "as" is a conjunction Azar does not Identify the grammar terms for like or as. (avoids them?) "The same, similar and different are used as adjectives." (Azar 9-11) |
"Winston tastes good like a cigarette should." (advertisement 1954) Grammarians complained about the incorrect use of "like" instead of "as". Winston responded, "What do you want, good grammar or good taste?" The phrase itself was responsible for vaulting the brand to second place in the U.S. market) See Winston cigarette ad controversy. |
| LINGUISTIC DESCRIPTION |
|---|
Linguistic description includes as and like in the category Preposition (also called "connective preposition" or "adjunct preposition"). She went to the same school as I / me*. (informal) (Huddleston 460) As in comparative constructions: (Huddleston 13 5§5)
|
"Like occurs with a comparative sense in a wide range of constructions." (Huddleston 13 5§6) John is very like his father. [adjective] "resemble" John is a good worker like his father. [preposition] "in the manner" (Huddleston 7 §2.2) John is behaving like an ass. [manner] |
Like + finite clause: like in competition with as (Huddleston 7 §5.6.2) John talks like his father talks. [comparative clause] John mimics his father like you might see in a comedy routine. [manner] It looked like he was talking to himself in the mirror. "as if" It was like he had cloned himself. "as if" |
| LONG-STANDING BUT INFORMAL USE |
|---|
"in modern English, like is often used as a conjunction instead of as. This is most common in an informal style. 'Nobody loves you like I do.' " (Swan 326.3) |
"It would appear that in many kinds of written and spoken English like as a conjunction is struggling towards acceptable standard or neutral ground. It is not there yet. But the distributional patterns suggest that the long-standing resistance to the omnipresent little word is beginning to crumble." (Fowler "Like" 458) |
"Conjunctive like was for some time thought to have originated in the 16th century, or perhaps earlier, as a shortening of an older compound conjunction like as. But new information published in the Middle English Dictionary shows that like by itself was used as a conjunction as long ago as like as was—from the 14th century. Where did the idea that like as a conjunction is an illiteracy come from? …We do know that like became a subject of dispute in England and America in the 19th century. (Merriam-Webster 600-2) |
| MOVING TOWARD ACCEPTABILITY |
|---|
"In traditional usage, like is a preposition that governs nouns and noun phrases, not a conjunction that governs verbs or clauses. *The story ended like it began. The story ended as it began. "Although this use of like can no longer be considered an outright solecism, as it once was, it hasn't moved far from the borderline of acceptability. It is acceptable casual English; it isn't yet in the category on unimpeachable English. Language Change Index—like as a conjunction, Stage 4, and like for as if or as though, Stage 4. (Garner "like" 512-3) |
"There is a quite strong tradition of prescriptive opposition to these constructions. It is alleged that like requires an NP complement and cannot take a finite clause (or to put it in terms of the traditional analysis, that like is a 'preposition' not a 'conjunction'.) Undoubtedly, some speakers follow this rule, avoiding like in such examples [above] in favour of the competing forms. Such speakers are, however, very much in the minority: both constructions are commonly used, though somewhat more widely in AmE than in BrE. (Huddleston 1158) |
Works Cited
- Azar, Betty S. and Stacy A. Hagen. Fundamentals of English Grammar, 5th ed. Vol. B, Pearson Education, 2020.
- Fowler, H. W., Fowler's Modern English Usage. Edited by R. W. Burchfield and H. W. Fowler, revised 3rd ed., Oxford UP, 2004.
- Garner, Bryan A., Garner's Modern American Usage. 3rd ed., Oxford UP, 2009.
- Huddleston, Rodney D., and Geoffrey K. Pullum. The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language. Cambridge UP, 2002.
- McWhorter, John. "The Evolution of 'Like'." The Atlantic, 25 Nov 2016, theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/11/the-evolution-of-like/507614.
- Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage. Reprint ed., Merriam-Webster, 1994.
- Swan, Michael. Practical English Usage. 3rd ed., Oxford UP, 2005.
Language Usage (Corpus) Database
- Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA). Brigham Young U, 2013, corpus.byu.edu/coca.
Images
- "Best Friends, India." by Dietmar Temps, Flickr, 11 Jan 2016. flickr.com/photos/deepblue66/24722268363. Accessed 2 Dec. 2016. Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.
- Teens using phones. by Terimakasih0, Pixabay, 28 June 2016. pixabay.com/en/texting-mobile-phones-hands-two-1490691. Accessed 2 Dec. 2016. Licensed under CC0 Public Domain.
Practice
"Smart" Phones
Complete the sentence.
- Select the response from the list that best completes the sentence.
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Practice 2
User-Experience
Read for Errors
Comparing the telephone user experience of the iPhone and the Blackberry phone is as comparing apples to oranges. The Blackberry opens to a keypad with true button-like keys that the user depresses. However, the iPhone has a touch screen with virtual-like keys. The user will experience the fat-finger effect if not careful. That is, the user may touch a neighboring key instead of the intended key.
The Blackberry is a one-hand friendly telephone with speed-dial. The iPhone cannot be used with one hand like earlier phones; it requires two hands to unlock the phone before dialing. Like the fat-finger effect, voice commands using Siri are also likely to cause errors. If speaking in a noisy place, the user will hear a response like: "I'm not sure what you said, there." If the user says, "I am done," but Siri hears, "I am drunk, Siri dials a taxi, and then the user is like, "Nooooo!"
If the user loses the Blackberry, then the telephone and its address book are lost. If the user loses the iPhone, it is like the person has lost a computer. Sensitive data like passwords, email, and other personal information are also lost. It's like the user's personal life becomes open to whoever finds it.
Blackberry phones have their devoted users, who like the simplicity of the phone. Likely, iPhones have their devoted users, who appreciate the complexity of the phone.
Perhaps, the choice of the phone is very much as the person who buys it — simple or complex.
depress (V) – push down
devoted (Adj) – loyal and loving
virtual (Adj) – not real; simulated
Edit for Errors
- Edit the sentence(s) in the text box.
- Compare your response to the feedback by clicking the "Check 16-25" button at the bottom, or click the "Check" button to the left as you go.