| I own literary books like The Clock Winder by Anne | | | | intends the reader to understand. In fact, the writer |
| Tyler and The Moor's Last Sigh by Salman Rushdie. | | | | might be communicating the opposite! |
| Do I own those books or not? This is not clear. The | | | | More examples |
| problem is the word like. | | | | The most common mistake is substituting like for |
| Many writers use the word like when they mean | | | | such as, such as in the following sentences found on |
| such as, and this causes confusion. When we're | | | | the web. |
| editing client's documents, we help improve clarity, i.e., | | | | - Rainforests are populated by insects like butterflies |
| we help the writer communicate what he or she | | | | and beetles. Apparently, butterflies and beetles do |
| means. As a result, we fix problems with like and | | | | not live in the rainforest, but other insects that |
| such as frequently. Briefly, here's the difference | | | | resemble them do. |
| between the two expressions: | | | | - They [the American Mink] can also capture |
| Like means similar to | | | | terrestrial prey like birds, snakes, mice, voles, and |
| - "I enjoy sweets like cookies and candy." According | | | | rabbits. So what do they capture? I'm not sure what |
| to this, I might not enjoy cookies and cake, but I do | | | | are similar to birds, snakes, etc. This same site does |
| enjoy sweets similar to them. | | | | have a correct example of the word like: They can |
| - "She has pets like dogs and cats." According to this, | | | | dive under water like an otter to capture fish, |
| she doesn't have dogs or cats, but she does have | | | | crayfish, and frogs. This is correct because it |
| other pets similar to dogs and cats. I'm not sure | | | | communicates that the mink dives in a manner similar |
| what animals she has for pets, maybe pigs and | | | | to an otter. |
| sheep. | | | | - We eat the meat of many animals like goat, |
| Such as means for example | | | | chicken, pig, etc. What animals are similar to goats, |
| - "I enjoy sweets, such as cookies and candy." In this | | | | chickens, and pigs? Why don't we eat goats, |
| sentence, I am telling you that I enjoy sweets, and | | | | chickens, and pigs? (The writer should have used |
| cookies and candy are two examples of the sweets | | | | such as. However, this has a second problem: etc. |
| I enjoy. | | | | should not be used with such as. Such as indicates |
| - "She has pets, such as dogs and cats." She does | | | | that the writer is providing a sample list, so writing |
| have dogs and cats as pets, along with other animals. | | | | etc., meaning and everything else, is not appropriate. |
| [Notice that such as is preceded by a comma. This is | | | | - The teacher will demonstrate with words like |
| equivalent to the abbreviation e.g.] | | | | "dichotomy" or "intonation." (Mississippi Department of |
| When we apply these definitions to my first | | | | Education, Language Arts Teaching Strategies, Eighth |
| sentence above, we understand that I might not | | | | Grade). According to this, teachers do not use the |
| own Tyler's or Rushdie's books, but I do own other | | | | words dichotomy or intonation, but they should use |
| books similar to them. However, I do own those two | | | | words similar to these two. |
| books, so my sentence does not communicate what | | | | Summary and advice |
| I mean. Instead, I should have written this: | | | | Use such as when you are providing a list of |
| I own literary books, such as The Clock Winder by | | | | examples. |
| Anne Tyler and The Moor's Last Stand by Salman | | | | Use like when you are writing about other things |
| Rushdie. | | | | similar to what you are describing. |
| As you can see, these expressions communicate | | | | Make sure to use the correct word or you may |
| different meanings. Using the wrong word is an error. | | | | communicate something very different than what |
| The writer doesn't communicate what he or she | | | | you intend. |