English language consists of many grammar rules, which it is important to pay special attention. There are also some of them that, it would seem, do not represent any difficulty. For example, the words like and as may seem simple, but in reality there are some peculiarities.
What is the difficulty of like and as?
The translation into Russian of these two similar words is almost the same. In both cases, it is translated as follows: "how." However, in the English language, these two words are used differently, in a variety of cases. In this article we will try to make out the difference between like and as.
As: when and how is it used
This pretext is used when there is any comparison. But in this case, we are supposedly talking about some real existing things, describing their real nature. The pretext is often translated into Russian as follows: “in quality,” “how,” and the like. Let's take a look at examples that will help us figure it out.
- He worked there as a Math teacher. - He worked there as a math teacher. (He worked there as a math teacher)
- We have Spanish classes today as on every Thursday. - Today we have a Spanish lesson, like every Thursday.
- You are really good as writer. “You are really good as a writer!” / You are good as a writer! / You are a good writer. That is, we call someone a good writer when he is actually a writer.
Thus, as is used when we need to compare a subject or person with who they are. That is, we are talking about real things.
Often as is used as a union. Then a prepositional turn follows it, and as itself has the meaning "in the same way."
- Nowadays many counties use the water as a source of energy. - Nowadays, many countries use water as a source of electricity.
- It's raining today as we thought. “It's raining today, as we thought.”
Both in colloquial speech and in writing, the expression "as usual" is used, which translates to "as usual":
- He did his best as usual. - He tried, as always.
Persistent expressions with as
We have already figured out what the difference between as and like is. In the English language there are stable expressions with as, which can be remembered and used both in written and in colloquial, informal speech.
- As you know - as you know.
- As I thougt - as I thought.
- As I told you - as I told you.
- As always - as always.
Like and the difference with the word as
The difference between like and as is that the first word - like - is used when we are not comparing an object or person with who they really are. It can be translated as: “to be the same”, “to be like”, “to do like anyone else”.
Let's try to figure it out and get back to as, observing the difference between as and like with examples. In the description of the word as we gave an example about a writer:
- You are really good as writer. - You are really good as a writer (as a writer) / You are a good writer.
However, in it we are talking about the person who is actually a writer and writes books. If, for example, we said this to a person who is not a writer, but seems to write well, we would say this:
- You write like a real writer. - You write like a real writer!
As you can see, in the second example this person is not a writer, but he writes beautifully. That is why we are comparing him to a writer, who he really is not.
Here are a couple of examples that will help you understand the difference between as and like, as well as the rules for using like.
- You look today like Hollywood's actress! “You look like a Hollywood actress today!” (not really a Hollywood actress)
- Your daughter looks like you. “Your daughter is like you.” (looks like you)
- She was cooking a Christmas dinner, and she looked like the happiest person. “She was preparing a Christmas dinner, and she looked like the happiest person.”
- My son always try to dance like a famous talented dancer, and he looks realy funny. - My son always tries to dance, as a famous talented dancer, and he looks really funny.
Other use points like
Let's step back a bit from the rules like and as.
Sometimes like can be supplemented with the following words: just, more, very much and many others.
- He is more like you. “He looks more like you.”
- She wants to be a teacher just like you. “She wants to be a teacher, just like you.”
Like is a preposition and after it gerund is used, that is, the ing ending is substituted for the verb. In this case, like can be translated as follows: like, like, something like.
- Reading is like traveling. “Reading is like traveling.”
- Spending time with your friend is like being at the most comfortable and nice place. - Spending time with your friend is like being in the most comfortable and sweet place.
- This book is like traveling abroad! “This book is like traveling abroad!” (That is, this book supposedly moved someone abroad during the reading process)
Often like can also act as an adjective, then it translates as similar, similar. In English, there is another word, especially close in meaning to it: similar.
- She was shouting at me, so I answered in like manner. - She screamed at me, so I answered in a similar manner.
But in informal English, in colloquial speech, especially in American, like is used as a union. This is not quite grammatically correct, so writing is not worth it, but in American speech it is quite common.
- I swear nobody loves you like I do. “I swear no one loves you like I do.”
- I also need money like you do. “I also need money, just like you.”
- We'll do this pic again next year, like we have done it today. “We will take this photo again next year, as we did today.”
Sometimes the word like becomes a parasite, especially in the speech of Americans. They can say: And I was like, "what is going on?" - "and I was such what generally happens?" And in our Russian language there is a similar parasite. We often use "type" or "such / such" in colloquial speech, especially when we retell something or describe our own or someone else's condition.
Persistent expressions with like
In the English language you can find stable expressions containing the word like. You can simply remember and use them both in written and in colloquial speech:
- be like I was like real teacher. - I was like a real teacher.
- feel like (feel that; feel; feel) It feel likes winter. (Feels like winter) I don't feel like studying. (I don’t want to learn something) After feel like, gerund is often used, that is, a word with an ing ending.
- sound like (sounds like) It sounds like Twenty One Pilots! - Sounds like Twenty one pilots!
- smell like (It smells like) It smells like Christmas dinner! - It smells like a Christmas dinner!
- look like you look like your mother. “You look like your mom!”
So what is the difference between as and like?
Summing up all of the above, we will once again repeat the main differences between two seemingly similar words.
Let us give the most striking example, which will make it clear the whole difference between such two identical pretexts.
Take a look at the two sentences below:
- I'm so hungry as a dog! “I'm so hungry like a dog.”
- I'm so hungry like a dog. “I'm so hungry like a dog.”
However, the first sentence is grammatically incorrect. Using as, we seem to confirm who this item is. That is, in fact: "I'm hungry, being a dog."
In order to understand the difference, we advise you to do the exercises "difference as and like."
As is used when we compare a person or object with who they really are. And like is used in cases where we are comparing something with what they really are not. Now you know what the difference is like vs as.
Such as: terms of use
Often in English you can meet another grammar rule: the use of such as. But what are its features, and in what cases should it be used?
Let's try to parse it using several similar sentences as an example.
- He is a spotsman and that's why he has to train even harder. - He is an athlete, and that is why he needs to work harder.
But this proposal is quite long, and in colloquial speech it is often replaced. For example, we can transform it in another way, using the previously learned word as:
- He is a sportsman and as a sportsman, he has to train hard. - He is an athlete, and as an athlete, he has to work harder.
However, in English it turns out that the word athlete is repeated twice, and the sentence does not sound completely harmonious. It is in such cases that the British use such as. The difference like and such as in this case is especially visible. Take a look at how you can convert the following sentence using this word:
- He is a sportsman and as such he has to train hard. - He is an athlete, and therefore he must train hard.
The simple and short word as such greatly reduced the sentence, made it clearer and much simpler, but did not change the meaning at all. It is in such cases that such as / as such is used. This can be translated into Russian as “therefore” or “as such”. In the second sense, it is most often used precisely in formal speech. Let's give a couple more examples.
- It's snow today as such we haven't gone to school. “It's snowing today, and so we did not go to school.”
- The book I've read was romance as such It had the happy ending. “The book I read was romantic, and so it had a happy ending.”
When else is used such as?
There is another point in which as such can be used. We can use it to indicate similarity with something, proximity to any subject:
- Our shop doesn't sell sweets as such, but we have a wide range of cookies. - Our store does not sell sweets as such, but we have a wide range of cookies.
In some cases, such as may be used in the meaning of "for example." Take a look at the options with different words, and immediately understand everything:
- Our school library has a lot of Russian literature. For example, you can find "War and Peace" or "The Master and Margarita" there. - Our library has a lot of Russian literature. For example, here you can find “War and Peace” or “Masters and Margarita”.
- Our school library has a lot of Russian literature such as "War and Peace" or "The Master and Margarita". “Our library has a lot of Russian literature, such as War and Peace or The Master and Margarita.”
In the second example, we used such as (such as, for example) and significantly reduced the sentence, without changing its main meaning.