UNIT 116 Like and as

A. Like = 'similar to', 'the same as'. Note that you cannot use as in this way:

* What a beautiful house! It's like a palace. (not 'as a palace')

* 'What does Sandra do?' 'She's a teacher, like me.' (not 'as me')

* Be careful! The floor has been polished. It's like walking on ice. (not 'as walking')

* It's raining again. I hate weather like this. (not 'as this')

In these sentences, like is a preposition. So it is followed by a noun (like a palace), a pronoun (like me/like this) or ~ing (like walking).

You can also say 'like (somebody/something) doing something':

* 'What's that noise?' 'It sounds like a baby crying.'

B. Sometimes like = 'for example':

* Some sports, like motor racing, can be dangerous.

You can also use such as (= for example):

* Some sports, such as motor racing, can be dangerous.

C. We use as (not 'like') before a subject + verb:

* I didn't move anything. I left everything as I found it.

* They did as they promised. (= They did what they promised.)

Compare like and as in these sentences:

* You should have done it like this. (like + pronoun)

* You should have done it as I showed you. (as + subject + verb)

We also say as you know/as I said/as she expected/as I thought etc.:

* As you know, it's Tom's birthday next week. (= you know this already)

* Jane failed her driving test, as she expected. she expected this before)

Note that we say as usual/as always:

* You're late as usual.

D. As can also be a preposition but the meaning is different from like. Compare:

#1 as

* Brenda Casey is the manager of a company. As the manager, she has to make many important decisions. ('As the manager' = in her position as the manager)

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

like

* Mary Stone is the assistant manager. Like the manager (Brenda Casey), she also has to make important decisions. ('Like the manager' = similar to the manager)

* Everyone is ill at home. Our house is like a hospital. (it isn't really a hospital)

As (preposition) = 'in the position of', 'in the form of' etc.:

* A few years ago I worked as a bus driver. (not 'like a bus driver')

* We've got a garage but we haven't got a car, so we use the garage as a workshop.

* Many English words (for example, 'work' and 'rain') can be used as verbs or nouns.

* London is all right as a place to visit, but I wouldn't like to live there.

* The news of her death came as a great shock.

We say regard... as:

* I regard her as my best friend.