LIKE, AS, SUCH AS

How are these sentences different?

I work like a slave.

I work as a slave.

Like

Like is a preposition so it is followed by a noun / pronoun. It is used to say that sth is similar to something else.

It was really more like a bad dream

The same as.

What do you do? I’m a teacher, like you. (pronoun)

Similar to.

Be careful! The floor has been polished. It’s like walking on ice. (ing)

AS can be also a preposition, and so can be followed by nouns, but the meaning is different

from LIKE.

We use LIKE to compare things:

1. She looks beautiful; like a princess. (she is beautiful, but she is not a princess)

2. Everyone is ill at home. Our house is like a hospital. (the house isn’t really a hospital)

We use AS to say what sth really is or was: (esp. to talk about jobs or how we use sth)

1. A few years ago I worked as a driver. (I really was a driver)

2. During the war this hotel was used as a hospital. (it was really a hospital)

As + noun

We also use as + noun to say what something is used for:

They had boxes on the stage which were used as train compartments.

AS is used before a subject + verb.

You should do it like this.

You should do it as I’m showing you.

Don’t move anything. Leave everthing as it is.

Examples

We can use such as or like to introduce examples.

Critics such as James Pearson loved the film.

He does well in subjects like history and philosophy.

He does well in subjects such as history and philosophy.

Let’s think

Should you write, “Chuck enjoys desserts such as brownies and cheesecake” or “Chuck enjoys desserts like brownies and cheesecake”?

Either is acceptable to many grammarians and veteran writers, but let’s look at why using “such as” is better in this instance. -

Let’s think

Like suggests comparison – similar to. It implies similarity but exclusion. So Chuck might want desserts similar to brownies but not brownies.

Like has come to be used synonymously with such as in common usage.

AS (other meanings)

•You are late AS USUAL.

• They did AS they promised. (they did what they promised)

• Ann failed her driving test, AS WE EXPECTED.

• AS YOU KNOW, tomorrow it’s her birthday.

•AS I SAID, this car is very expensive.

Let’s practise - key

1. like2. like3. as4. like5. as6. as7. as8. like9. as10. as11. like

12. as13. like14. like 15. as16. as17. as18. like19. as20. like21. as22. like

Let’s practise - key

23. like24. as25. like26. as