Like vs as.

[Piermo]

Hello, everyone,
In the book “The Elements of Style” the author explains: “Like—Not to be used for the conjugation ‘as.’ ‘Like’ governs nouns and pronouns; before phrases and clauses the equivalent word is ‘as’.”

—wrong: “We spent the evening like in the old days.”
—right: ”We spent the evening as in the old days.”

So, are these sentences correct?

“He moved as a weird duck.”
“He moved as a duck on water.”

And in a sentence like this one, how do we know if the word "as" is used as "while" or "like"?
"The lion's head towered over the sheep as the cobra's head loomed over the mouse."

Thank you!

 

[jutfrank]

So, are these sentences correct?

“He moved as a weird duck.”
“He moved as a duck on water.”

No, they're wrong. These similes need 'like'.

And in a sentence like this one, how do we know if the word "as" is used as "while" or "like"?
"The lion's head towered over sheep as the cobra's head loomed over the mouse."

Where did you get this sentence? Is it your own?

 

[probus]

@pierno Thanks for giving the title of the book. We also need the author's name.

 

[Piermo]

No, they're wrong. These similes need 'like'.



Where did you get this sentence? Is it your own?

Yes, the last sentence is mine.
So this sentence should be:

"The lion's head towered over the sheep like (?) the cobra's head loomed over the mouse."

if it's a comparison.

 

[Piermo]

Even in the book "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner she explains:
"'As' is followed by a clause: Homer tripped, as everyone was expecting."

Do we need to place a comma to differentiate 'as' meaning 'like'?

"The lion's head towered over the sheep, as the cobra's head loomed over the mouse."

 

[jutfrank]

"The lion's head towered over the sheep like (?) the cobra's head loomed over the mouse."

I'm not completely sure what you're doing here. Is this supposed to be in poetic style? Perhaps you mean this:

The lion towered over the sheep like a cobra looming over a mouse.


(Please cite the book properly. Thank you.)

 

[Piermo]

I'm trying to understand the difference between 'as' and 'like,' and the difference between 'as' meaning 'while,' and 'as' meaning 'like.'

 

[jutfrank]

I'm trying to understand the difference between 'as' and 'like,'

Go through these first and then let us know if you need further clarification.

As or like ?

As or like ? - English Grammar Today - a reference to written and spoken English grammar and usage - Cambridge Dictionary

dictionary.cambridge.org

Using 'as' and 'like'

Do you know how to use like and as? Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you.

learnenglish.britishcouncil.org

and the difference between 'as' meaning 'while,' and 'as' meaning 'like.'

This will almost never be a problem, as you'll get it from context.

 

[Piermo]

Thank you for your links! They are very helpful.
From what I understood, the sentence "The lion's head towered over the sheep as the cobra's head loomed over the mouse" is correct, but would be clearer to rephrase it "The lion's head towered over the sheep, in the way that the cobra's head loomed over the mouse." Am I right?

 

[jutfrank]

From what I understood, the sentence "The lion's head towered over the sheep as the cobra's head loomed over the mouse" is correct, but would be clearer to rephrase it "The lion's head towered over the sheep, in the way that the cobra's head loomed over the mouse." Am I right?

You're kind of right, yes, but it's a strange example. In what circumstances would you say that? If it's meant as a poetic comparison, it's better to use 'like', as I wrote in post #6.

 

[Flask]

"The lion's head towered over the sheep as the cobra's head loomed over the mouse."

I'd make the following five changes to make that sentence readily understandable as you intend it to be understood:

1. Front the "as"-clause.
2. Put the "as"-clause in the present tense ("looms" rather than "loomed").
3. Place "so" at the beginning of the main clause. ("As . . . so . . ." forms a correlative construction.)
4. Change "towered" to "loomed," so that it parallels the verb of the "as"-clause.
5. Use subject-verb inversion in the main clause.

Those changes yield the following sentence, which, despite its old-fashioned ring, can be easily understood:

As the cobra's head looms over the mouse, so loomed the lion's head over the sheep.

 

[Piermo]

Thank you! I love your version.

 

[reganprohaska]

Go through these first and then let us know if you need further clarification.

As or like ?

As or like ? - English Grammar Today - a reference to written and spoken English grammar and usage - Cambridge Dictionary

dictionary.cambridge.org

Using 'as' and 'like'

Do you know how to use like and as? Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you.

learnenglish.britishcouncil.org

This will almost never be a problem, as you'll get it from context.

Thanks for these links

 

[Rover_KE]

I can't find similar threads in UsingEnglish, but click here for lots of discussions in WordReferenceForums.

 

[5jj]

As the cobra's head looms over the mouse, so loomed the lion's head over the sheep.

That's not the language I speak.

 

[Flask]

That's not the language I speak.

Not even in fairy-tale-like, poetic contexts or for humorously archaic effect? Here are some related O.E.D. quotes:

"As the olde cocke crowes so doeth the chick." -G. Puttenham, Arte of English Poesie, 1589
"As the stars are, so are the Snobs." -Robert Burns, 1796
"As heroes think, so thought the Bruce." -Sir Walter Scott, Lord of Isles, 1815
"As Baghdad goes, so goes Iraq." -The Wall Street Journal, 2007

 

[Tarheel]

Not even in fairy-tale-like, poetic contexts or for humorously archaic effect? Here are some related O.E.D. quotes:

"As the olde cocke crowes so doeth the chick." -G. Puttenham, Arte of English Poesie, 1589
"As the stars are, so are the Snobs." -Robert Burns, 1796
"As heroes think, so thought the Bruce." -Sir Walter Scott, Lord of Isles, 1815
"As Baghdad goes, so goes Iraq." -The Wall Street Journal, 2007

You seem to think that those quotes make no sense, as does the weird thing about the lion's head.

 

[Flask]

You seem to think that those quotes make no sense, as does the weird thing about the lion's head.

I would not have quoted them if I thought they made no sense. Both they and the weird thing about the lion's head make sense. Infrequent and old-fashioned though it may be, this is a grammatical pattern that has been passed down through the centuries. Anyone who reads older translations of the Bible encounters it regularly. "As ye sow, so shall ye reap," etc.

 

[Tarheel]

No. I can explain the one about "As you sow so shall you reap". I can explain that. It means you get what you put into something. You can't sow wheat and expect to get corn. You can't plant tomatoes and expect to get strawberries. I can't explain the weird thing about the lion's head because it makes no sense. No explanation is possible. Tell me what it means for a lion's head to loom over a mouse. You can't!

 

[Skrej]

I can't explain the weird thing about the lion's head because it makes no sense. No explanation is possible. Tell me what it means for a lion's head to loom over a mouse. You can't!

The lion isn't looming over the mouse, it's looming over the sheep, just like the cobra looms over the mouse. It's a comparison of predatory actions with recognition that size doesn't guarantee safety.

In other words, there's always a bigger fish.