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Most of us are likely aware of the give and take of spoken and written language. We give extra license for looseness when speaking; we take that license back to ensure and protect proper form when writing (or at least that should be our aim).
Like a thriving rooftop cocktail party at sunset, American English resembles an open affair of chatting occupants that become more relaxed as the evening wears on. Some become so cozy in their communion that they begin to absorb qualities of the other.
Two such occupants that commingle until they begin to look like each other are like and such as. We use them interchangeably in our daily communication while typically giving a greater advantage to like in many applications.
Because our mission here is to write with precision and eloquence, we'll further explore the difference between these rooftop attendees of English that so often exchange their attire.
Like
Like is a highly versatile word that can function as a verb, noun, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction (informal), and interjection.
Verb: I like taking walks by the river.
Noun: Among rivers, I have never seen that one's like before.
Adjective: You and I are like individuals with like interests.
Adverb: The walk took like twice as long as we'd predicted.
Preposition: You walk like an athlete.
Conjunction (informal): You walk like I do.
Interjection (informal): Let's, like, walk the whole trail. |
As, Such As
As is another flexible word you'll often see serving as an adverb, a conjunction, or a preposition.
Adverb: I believe that trail is just as long.
Conjunction (correctly formal): You walk as I do.
Preposition: I still remember the first walk I took as a child. |
We also frequently see and use as in such as, which Merriam-Webster online identifies as idiomatic:
1 used to introduce an example or series of examples
You will need some form of identification, such as a driver's license.
"I have my reasons for not wanting to go." "Such as?"
2 of the specified kind
In cases such as this (one), it's best to be cautious.
Questions such as the one you've asked are difficult to answer. |
When to Use Like or As
As we've pointed out, like tends to stand in for as in daily communication. Precise writers will note the distinctions between them.
Like and as are most often switched in sentences where one or the other means to serve as a conjunction or a comparison.
Because like translates as "similar to," we will use it when our goal is to compare:
| Those walking shoes you're wearing are like mine. (They are similar to mine.) |
We will use as when we need the proper word to act as a conjunction joining clauses:
| You tie your walking shoes as I do. (The conjunction connects the dependent clause "I do" to the independent one.) |
To reinforce proper usage, let's look at our examples again in both correct and incorrect applications.
Correct: Those walking shoes you're wearing are like mine.
Incorrect: Those walking shoes you're wearing are as mine. |
Correct: You tie your walking shoes as I do.
Incorrect: You tie your walking shoes like I do. |
Note also that in the case of elliptical constructions such as the following, like is proper in both formal and informal contexts:
| He is drawn to video games like steel to a magnet. |
In this context, like translates as "similar to" without requiring punctuation for clarity. Compare the following sentences.
He is drawn to video games similar to steel to a magnet.
Like [similar to] steel to a magnet, he is drawn to video games.
He is drawn to video games like steel to a magnet. |
The second and third sentences read best; however, the third requires no punctuation or movement of the descriptive phrase.
The same principles we've discussed for like and as would apply to choosing between like and as if or as though in proper formal writing.
Incorrect: It looks like the moon's coming out.
Correct: It looks as if the moon's coming out.
Correct: It looks as though the moon's coming out. |
Incorrect: What's that behind the cloud? It looks as if [or as though] the moon.
Correct: What's that behind the cloud? It looks like the moon. |
When to Use Like or Such As
Because such as is idiomatic and closer in meaning to like, the line between usage can blur even further. One reason is that unlike as, as if, and as though, such as can point to only nouns and pronouns as opposed to being a signal for a clause with a verb.
| Hans loves classic-rock bands, such as Led Zeppelin, the Who, and the Rolling Stones. |
In this example, such as introduces (includes) specific examples of classic-rock bands.
Conversely, what would we indicate if we wrote a similar sentence as follows?
| Hans loves classic-rock bands like Led Zeppelin, the Who, and the Rolling Stones. |
Informally, such a statement would likely be understood. However, in writing, which offers greater time and thought for precision, casting the sentence this way would indicate something different from our original sentence above: We would be expressing that Hans loves classic-rock bands similar to those cited. He is making a comparison.
With these distinctions in mind, when determining usage in formal writing, we will use like for noninclusive comparisons and nonspecific frames of reference. We'll use such as when conveying inclusive examples and categories.
Punctuation with Such As
A question that may arise when we are using such as is when to include a comma with it. The answer will depend on whether we intend for the information we're providing to be restrictive or nonrestrictive.
Lean meats such as venison and skinless chicken breast are low in fat and high in protein.
Lean meats, such as venison and skinless chicken breast, are low in fat and high in protein. |
In the first sentence, without commas, such as communicates restrictive information: We need it for our intended meaning.
In the second sentence, the presence of commas makes the enclosed information nonrestrictive: We could exclude it without changing our intended meaning.
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