Grammar, compared
As vs like
Like compares two different things. As describes a role or a real function someone or something has.
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| As | Like |
|---|---|
| He works as a translator. (his real job) | He acts like a translator sometimes, even though he's not one. (a comparison) |
| As a manager, I have to make hard calls. (in that role) | She looks like her sister. (a comparison, similarity) |
| Use this as a guide. (its real function) | This feels like a guide, but it's really a sales pitch. (a comparison) |
How each one works
| Point | As | Like |
|---|---|---|
| Use | A real role, job or function | A comparison between two different things |
| Followed by | a noun describing the real role | a noun being compared to |
| Example | She works as a teacher. (it's her real job) | She teaches like a natural. (comparison, how she does it) |
| Fixed phrase | as if, as though (hypothetical) | look like, sound like, feel like |
Watch out if you speak Spanish
- Como in Spanish covers both, so English asks: is this the real role (as), or a comparison to something it isn't (like)?
- As a friend, I have to tell you... means you really are a friend. Like a friend means you're acting similar to one, without being one.
- Like is common before a noun in casual comparisons: it tastes like chicken.
- As if and as though introduce a hypothetical comparison: she talks as if she knew everything.
Practice
Grammar practice
Choose or type the answer for each sentence, then check.
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Questions
- Do I say work as or work like?
- Work as, when it's your real job: I work as a nurse. Work like describes a comparison: she works like a machine, meaning very efficiently, not that her job is being a machine.
- Can like start a sentence?
- In casual speech yes, as a comparison: like I said, it's complicated. In formal writing, as I said is preferred.
Keep going
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