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'like' and 'as'

Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2008 5:00 am
by Kathleen in Norway

Can somebody tell me if the differentiation of the use of 'like' and 'as' in comparatives is just old-fashioned and out of date in American English?

Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2008 6:36 am
by Slava
Perhaps I myself am old-fashioned, but I do not believe this distinction is lost.

Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2008 1:20 pm
by Perry
Like or Such as?
"Writers whom we respect disagree on whether there is any significant difference between like and such as. Wilson Follett and Theodore Bernstein say no. James J. Kilpatrick says yes. We come down gingerly on the side of Kilpatrick. His argument seems valid: 'When we are talking of large, indefinite fields of similarity, like properly may be used. . . . When we are talking about specifically named persons [places or things] . . . included in a small field, we ought to use such as.' In 'Books like this one can help you write better,' like means similar to. In 'Cities such as Atlanta and Birmingham are important to the economy of the Southeast,' the intent is to specify those cities as examples, not merely to put them into a broad category of cities that are important to the economy of the Southeast" (Lederer and Dowis, Sleeping Dogs Don't Lay 79).
From the websiteof the late (and I think great) Dr. Grammar; Professor James HiDuke.

Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2008 8:10 pm
by Slava
Or is the question here a different one?

Do as they do in Rome? or
Do like they do in Rome?

Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 5:36 am
by Cacasenno
Or is the question here a different one?

Do as they do in Rome? or
Do like they do in Rome?

As they like :roll: :lol:

Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 5:05 pm
by Perry
Do as they do in Rome. But as already stated, do as you like.

Posted: Sat Nov 22, 2008 12:03 pm
by sluggo
Like such as this?

I have a dim memory of doing on-the-air radio fundraising in the wee hours of the morning; our phones were absolutely dead until in desperation an English teacher called and proclaimed she would make a pledge "if that guy stops saying 'like I said' and uses 'as I said'. It worked. So there may be some financial recompense to be found in, like, such as talking good. :?

Posted: Sat Nov 22, 2008 3:31 pm
by Perry
Gosh! What a lame answer the young lady gave to a question that wasn't asked. Someone should do a study to discover what percent of Americans cannot accurately repeat a question they have just been asked!

Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2008 12:27 pm
by Stargzer
Methinks the young lady hath been served a surfeit of excoriation twixt the eternal damnation of YouTube upon the Net of Aether and those alleged to be the Journalers of res novae.

Stargzer is half-watching Olivier's Hamlet on TCM, and half-listening to his wife's caterwaulling in re her job and recent evaluation whilst travelling on the aetherial surfboard. "Alas, poor Stargzer, ... a fellow of infinite jest ..."

Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2008 10:31 pm
by Slava
I fear we may have frightened off Kathleen in Norway. I hope not.

Kathleen, has anything here answered your question? Can we help further, or we beyond help?

Are you just a Kathleen who happens to be in Norway, or a Norwegian Kathleen?

Talk to us. Fight back and re-claim your topic, if need be.

Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2008 2:28 pm
by sluggo
I fear we may have frightened off Kathleen in Norway. I hope not.
Maybe she's Thor at us for being neither helpful Norse erious.
Hope she's not afjord to come back...

Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 12:12 pm
by skinem
Uffda!

I think we did scare her away...or perhaps, she was just overwhelmed by the erudition, quality and volume of information...

I provide the volume.

Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 1:28 pm
by sluggo
Uffda!

I provide the volume.
And that is laudable. :wink:

Oh well, she did succeed in Viking up the pun machine,
oh s Oslo-ly.

Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 10:50 pm
by skinem
Would I be too fjord in suggesting we leif it alone?

Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 3:00 pm
by Cacasenno
No fjord Nor way to contact Kathleen