L ike and As

Uses

Both LIKE and AS can be used to show similarity between actions, people, things and situations. However, they differ in their grammatical use.

A) LIKE is a preposition followed by a noun or a pronoun

Examples I look like my mother (noun)

I feel like a stranger (noun) here

The new building is like a prison (noun)

Oh no! It’s raining again. I hate weather like this (pronoun)

B) AS is a conjunction and so is followed by a subject + verb.

Examples You should have followed my instructions, as I asked you to

She’s a teacher, just as her mother was

C) AS can also be a preposition followed by a noun when it is used to talk about the job, use, function or role of a person or thing.

Examples I worked as a teacher for many years

You can use your MP3 player as a storage device as well as for music

We use our garage as an extra bedroom

She acts as the boss when the Director is away

Practice

Choose either LIKE or AS to complete the gaps.

1. She did very well in the exam ………….. we expected.

2. He’s working in a restaurant …………. a waiter.

3. She wants to go overseas to work …………. most of her friends.

4. He wants to start earning money as soon as possible, …………. most of his friends do.

5. Why do you never listen to me? It’s …………. talking to a brick wall!

6. The ground was shaking. It felt …………. an earthquake.

7. She really is …………. a child.

8. This tool can be used both …………. a bottle-opener and a knife.

9. The news came …………. a complete shock.

10. I’d love to be able to speak English …………. a native speaker

Other uses of AS

1. As + adjective / adverb + as - for direct comparisons

E.g. Nicolas is almost as old as Ben

I studied as hard as I could

She crept up the stairs as quietly as she could.

With nouns, we use as much……as ….. or as many…… as……

E.g. We haven’t got as much time as we had hoped

There aren’t as many people here as we had expected

2. To explain the reason for something; the ‘Because’ function

E.g. As it was raining, I decided to take a taxi home

As we are not supposed to smoke inside the building, we all went outside

3. A time adverb to explain simultaneous events. (Also ‘when’ and ‘while’)

E.g. As I was wandering around Pacific Fair, I bumped into an old friend.

I noticed the car was making a strange sound as I was driving home.

4. As if and As though

E.g. It looks as if / as though it’s going to rain

We often follow these expressions with a past tense with a present meaning to show an unreal comparison

E.g. You look as if / as though you’d seen a ghost

She spoke as though she was telling the truth (but in fact she was lying)

Were can also be used instead of was in these ‘unreal’ comparisons

E.g. He walked as if he were drunk

Answers to practice exercise

1. as 2. as 3. like 4. as 5. like 6. like 7. like 8. as 9. as 10. like