Which one? Like or as? Between, among or amid?
Here are some commonly confused words, with some simple ways to remember which one to use.
As and Like
If you are talking about a person’s job or a thing’s usage, then use as:
I’ve worked as an English teacher for many years.
He used his phone as a torch to see where he was going.
He used his phone like a torch to see where he was going.
As can also be used as a conjunction that shows similarity:
He drove all the way home for Christmas, as he had done the previous year.
He wore a kilt to the wedding, as Scottish men often do on formal occasions.
He wore a kilt to the wedding, like Scottish men often do on formal occasions.
Like is a preposition of comparison in these situations:
Mary seems like a nice person.
I am sweating like a pig!
I am sweating as a pig!
Do the last two situations seem the same?! Note that when ‘as’ is used as a conjunction, the two parts of the sentence could be sentences themselves (which is why we put a comma between them). But, with ‘like’ as a preposition, the two parts of the sentence could not exist without each other.
He wore a kilt to the wedding. Scottish men often do. (These are possible sentences – put ‘as‘ between them)
Mary seems. Nice person. (These are not possible sentences – put ‘like‘ between them)
Lastly, When comparing two things with an adjective, you can use “as _____ as”:
Australia is almost as big as Europe.
I’m not as young as I used to be.
Among, Between or Amid
When talking about positions, between is used to show something is clearly between named objects or places (usually two), but among shows that something is more generally surrounded by objects:
The bakery is between the station and the park.
“The oregano? I think it’s in the cupboard among the other herbs.”
“The oregano? I think it’s in the cupboard between the other herbs.” (wrong unless there are only two herbs!)
Among can also mean ‘part of, out of, or surrounded by’:
She was the fastest runner among her friends.
France is among the greatest wine producing nations of the world.
France is between the greatest wine producing nations of the world.
Amid is used in a similar way to ‘among’ above, but where the surrounding is uncountable:
Amid all the noise I couldn’t make out what she was saying.
It’s difficult to find the important facts amid so much information!
It’s difficult to find the important facts among so much information!
The only other use of amid is as a synonym of ‘in an atmosphere of’ or ‘to a background of’:
The Mayor resigned amid allegations of corruption.
The staff went on strike amid an overtime dispute.
The staff went on strike among an overtime dispute.
Amongst and amidst are older versions of among and amid, and are still sometimes used in British English.
TEST YOURSELF!
Fill the gaps with either as, like, among, between or amid.
- Mary is just as tall her father.
- “That cloud looks a dog!”
- He went to the gym before work, he usually did in the morning.
- “She looks just her mother!”
- “ I can’t decide chocolate or strawberry.”
- The players walked off the pitch a devastating defeat.
- Penguins are a small number of birds that can’t fly.
- “Pistachios are my favourite nuts!”
- has been previously agreed, we will have lunch 12:30 and 13:30, during which time we will agree on which the many candidates is best for the job; a highly important decision our recent financial problems. We can’t make any mistakes the ones we made last Summer! “
10. What is the difference between these two phrases?:
As a doctor, he knows a lot about medicine!
Like a doctor, he knows a lot about medicine!
Answers:
- Mary is just as tall as her father.
- “That cloud looks like a dog!”
- He went to the gym before work, as he usually did in the morning.
- “She looks just like her mother!”
- “ I can’t decide between chocolate or strawberry.”
- The players walked off the pitch amid a devastating defeat.
- Penguins are among a small number of birds that can’t fly.
- “Pistachios are among my favourite nuts!”
- “As has been previously agreed, we will have lunch between 12:30 and 13:30, during which time we will agree on which among the many candidates is best for the job; a highly important decision amid our recent financial problems. We can’t make any mistakes like the ones we made last Summer! “
- In the first phrase, the person is a doctor. In the second phrase, he is only acting like a doctor.
As both a teacher and a learner of languages, I know that some grammar points can be challenging! If you have any doubts about which word to use, leave a comment below, and I will respond as fast as I can!
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