Grammar Practice in Context - David Bolton, Noel Goodey 1997
95 Like and as As if/as though
Quick reference
Like
• We use like when we compare one thing or person with another. Like usually means ’similar to’ or 'in the same way as’.
She looks like her father. (not as her father) He swims like a fish. (not as a fish)
• Like can also mean 'for example’.
He eats a lot of junk food, like crisps and hot dogs. (not as crisps)
• Like is a preposition. We use it before a noun, a pronoun or the -ing form of the verb.
He smokes like a chimney. (like + noun) He looks like me (like + pronoun)
Spending 33,000 on a bicycle seems like throwing money away. (like + -ing)
As
• We use as before a subject + a verb. We don’t normally use like here.
Do as I say. (not Do like I say.) As I expected, he was late. (not Like I expected)
• We can use as (preposition) + noun to say what someone or something really is.
He works as a dishwasher in a hotel kitchen. (= This is his real job.)
Note that like + a noun doesn’t mean the same as as + a noun. We use like to compare things or people. He works like a slave. (He isn’t really a slave.)
• We also use as when we talk about the function or role of something/someone.
He used the knife as a weapon. I acted as her manager.
As if/as though
• We use as if/as though before a subject + a verb. They mean the same.
He behaves as if/as though he's the boss. (He isn’t the boss, but he behaves like him.)
• We sometimes use a past tense form after as if/as though when we talk about the present.
I treat her as if/as though she was/were my own daughter. (She isn’t his daughter).
We use the past tense form was or were (subjunctive) here to show how unreal the idea is.
1 Complete this interview with a dustman (or rubbish collector) with like or as.
(1) ... you know, my name’s Frank Rigden and I’ve worked (2) ... a dustman for five years now. Some people treat you (3) ... a disease, (4) ... something unclean and maybe a bit dangerous. When I get home, my wife says I smell (5) ... the rubbish I’ve been handling all day. But when I'm not at work, people say to me, 'You don’t look (6) ... a dustman.’ In fact, in the evening, when I’ve finished work, I do a lot of different things, (7) ... listening to Mozart and other composers, (8) ... Stravinsky and Berg.
It’s not (9) ... the other jobs I’ve had. They’ve all been jobs inside, in factories. I enjoy being outside (10) ... this, in the open air. (11) ... any other job, it gets a bit routine sometimes. Some people I work with aren’t (12) ... me. They use a bit of snow (13) ... an excuse to stay in bed.
I try to leave every street as neat and tidy (14) ... I like my street to be. I never leave things (15) ... egg shells or potato peel on the ground. Yes, (16) ... I told you before, I enjoy being a dustman.
2 Some students are complaining about their maths teacher. Complete what they say with as if/as though + subject + was/were.
’Sometimes he shouts at us (1) ... we ... children.’
’He talks very fast (2) ... maths ... very easy.’
’What really annoys me is when he speaks to the girls (3) ... they ... different from the boys, (4) ... they ... all stupid. And when I ask a question he looks at me (5)...................... ... I ... some sort of trouble maker.’
He gives us a lot of homework, (6) ... maths ... our only subject.’
3 Kate Hogarth works for a big computer company. Complete this description of her, matching the first part of the sentence on the left with the other half of the sentence on the right, adding as, like or as if/as though.
1 She joined the company
2 Now it looks
3 Because it looks
4 Kate’s 45 but she looks
5 She dresses
6 She treats everyone
7 She's good at remembering things,
8 Last year the company made big profits,
a) ... a fashion model.
b) ... they’re really important.
c) ... she’ll be the next managing director.
d) ... people's first names.
e) ... she predicted.
f) ... she’s still only 35.
g) ... a receptionist.
h) ... the present boss will retire early.
1 ... 2... 3... 4... 5... 6... 7... 8...
4 Andy Walsh likes to give the impression that he is a very important person. He is always showing off. Complete the sentences about him, using as if/as though.
Example: He’s 55, but he acts as if he was (or as if he were) 25.
1 He isn’t very rich, but he spends money ... millionaire.
2 He's never met his bank manager, but he talks about him ... an old friend.
3 He’s got a very ordinary job at work, but he talks ... the manager.
4 He lives in a very ordinary house, but he talks ... in a castle.
5 He’s got a very old Ford, but he talks ... a Mercedes and a Porsche.
6 He’s married, but when he’s with other women he behaves ... a wife and two children.
7 He doesn’t know anything about world affairs, but he talks ... an expert.
8 He talks about the Prime Minister ... him intimately, but he’s never even met him.
5 Write a description of a person you know well using like, as, as if, as though.
Examples: He's 18 but he looks as if he's 25. He works as a waiter.
Check your description with a teacher.