PenPal asks: Should you use “like” or “as”?
Many writers use “like” incorrectly as a preposition in certain instances when they should instead use “as” (or “as if” or “as though”). The rule is really quite simple, and following it will make your writing more professional.
Like is correct when used as a preposition, a part of speech followed by an object (noun or pronoun). Example:
(Correct) She writes like Dickinson. (like is the preposition; Dickinson is the object)
Like is also acceptable when it introduces a clause from which the verb has been omitted.
Example:
(Correct) My mother takes to flower gardening like a bird to air. (bird is the object)
Like used as a preposition does not correctly introduce a verb phrase.
Example:
(Incorrect) Donovan smiled like he was happy about my bad luck. (“He was” is not an object of a preposition; it is a verb phrase.)
But the writer could phrase it this way:
(Correct) Donovan smiled like a lunatic when he found out about my bad luck. (The object here is “lunatic.”)
Or this way:
(Correct) Donovan smiled as though he was happy about my bad luck.
Here are some sample questions to try out this word usage skill. Mark each sentence as correct (C) or incorrect (I). Identify the object when “like” has been used correctly.
___1. Lillian walked like a duck because her new shoes fit poorly.
___2. When you stormed into my house, you acted like you owned it.
___3. Jeremy looked like he’d been hit by a truck when Meredith turned him down.
___4. Mary and Alvin are twins; she looks a lot like him.
___5. My dog eats like a pig when we give her canned food.
Answers:
1. C (Object is “duck”)
2. I (No object)
3. I (No object)
4. C (Object is “him”)
5. C (Object is “pig”)
________
Cathy Kodra a/k/a PenPal
Cathy Kodra works as an independent editor in Knoxville, TN. Her poetry and short stories have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies including Roanoke Review, New Millennium Writings, Common Ground Review, Now & Then, Cavalier Literary Couture, Slow Trains, Still Crazy, The Medulla Review, Prime Mincer, Yemassee, and others. She is a contributing editor for New Millennium Writings and past guest poetry editor for The Medulla Review. She was first runner up in Prime Mincer’s 2011 Poetry Contest, judged by Rodney Jones, and took first place in the 2012 Old Gray Cemetery Poetry Contest. Cathy’s first poetry chapbook, Thin Ice, was published in 2011 by Medulla Publishing.
Cathy is a member of the Knoxville Writers’ Guild and of two local writing groups. An avid reader and writer, she is currently working on two poetry collections and a collection of short stories. Her hobbies include gardening and vegan cooking, and she lives happily with her husband Ron, two dogs, and a cat. She can be reached at www.cathykodra.com.
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