Like vs. As – English Grammar Exercises for B2
Read the complaint of a severely exhausted working mother to her friend, and choose the best option to complete the sentences.
1 I am completely drained! I have been working ______ a dog all week just to meet the company’s deadlines.
(a) as
(b) like
(c) as if
(d) such as
2 My manager has absolutely no empathy; he treats me ______ a robot that doesn’t need sleep or rest.
(a) as
(b) alike
(c) like
(d) as similar
3 ______ a mother of two toddlers, I barely have five minutes to sit down and drink a cup of coffee.
(a) Like
(b) As if
(c) Alike
(d) As
4 By 8 PM every evening, I am so exhausted that I feel ______ a mindless zombie dragging my feet around the house.
(a) like
(b) as
(c) as though
(d) similar
5 I was officially hired ______ a Marketing Coordinator, but I essentially do the jobs of three different people.
(a) like
(b) as being
(c) as
(d) to be as
6 Sometimes, I am so stressed that I feel ______ packing my bags and moving to a deserted island.
(a) as
(b) as if
(c) like
(d) alike
7 My head is constantly pounding, and it feels ______ someone is repeatedly hitting it with a heavy hammer.
(a) like as
(b) as if
(c) as
(d) similar to
8 You have no idea how hard it is to function ______ both a full-time employee and a primary caregiver.
(a) like
(b) as though
(c) alike
(d) as
9 After standing for ten hours straight, my legs are so stiff that I am walking ______ a wooden puppet.
(a) as
(b) like
(c) as to
(d) just as
10 When I finally complained to my boss about the workload, he just laughed and dismissed my frustration ______ a joke.
(a) like
(b) alike
(c) as
(d) as if
11 ______ is usually the case with corporate jobs, my overtime hours are completely unpaid and unappreciated.
(a) Like
(b) Which
(c) As if
(d) As
12 When I finally crash onto my bed at midnight, I sleep ______ a log until the alarm goes off at 5 AM.
(a) as
(b) like
(c) similar to
(d) as if
13 Many of my colleagues are suffering from severe burnout, just ______ me.
(a) as
(b) such as
(c) like
(d) as if
14 I told my husband in tears, “I work ______ a slave to keep this house clean, but nobody notices!”
(a) like
(b) as
(c) as if
(d) such as
15 When I asked my kids to clean up their toys, they stared at me ______ I was speaking an alien language.
(a) just like
(b) as
(c) like as
(d) as if
16 We are expected to work seamlessly and without complaint, just ______ the disposable gears in a giant machine.
(a) as
(b) like
(c) as if
(d) alike
17 To survive these chaotic mornings, I heavily rely on strong black coffee ______ my primary source of fuel.
(a) like
(b) as though
(c) as
(d) alike
18 I am highly regarded ______ the most dependable person in the office, yet I am still paid ______ an intern.
(a) like / as
(b) as / like
(c) as / as
(d) like / like
19 Serving ______ the project lead means I have to take all the blame, even when my team members act ______ spoiled children.
(a) like / as
(b) as if / alike
(c) as / as
(d) as / like
20 I honestly wouldn’t wish this level of chronic exhaustion on anyone, not even someone ______ my worst enemy.
(a) as
(b) such as
(c) like
(d) as if
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (b) like
- Why it is correct (The Key): Use Like + Noun for comparison (meaning “similar to”). The speaker is a human, not an actual dog. “Working like a dog” is a common idiom to exaggerate hard work.
- Error Analysis: (a) as (Meaning Trap: “Working as a dog” would literally mean the person’s actual job is being a dog). (c) as if (Structural Error: Needs a clause). (d) such as (Structural Error: Used for giving examples).
2 (c) like
- Why it is correct (The Key): Treat someone like + Noun means to treat someone similarly to something else. The speaker is not a robot.
- Error Analysis: (a) as (Meaning Trap: Means they are actually a robot). (b) alike (Structural Error: ‘Alike’ cannot precede a noun). (d) as similar (Structural Error).
3 (d) As
- Why it is correct (The Key): As + Noun denotes someone’s actual status or role (“In the capacity of”). The speaker is genuinely a mother of two.
- Error Analysis: (a) Like (Meaning Trap: Implies the speaker is NOT a mother but acts similarly to one). (b) As if (Structural Error). (c) Alike (Structural Error).
4 (a) like
- Why it is correct (The Key): The structure feel like + Noun means to experience a sensation resembling something else.
- Error Analysis: (b) as (Common Mistake: Students confuse ‘as’ and ‘like’ after sensory verbs). (c) as though (Structural Error: Must be followed by a clause). (d) similar (Structural Error).
5 (c) as
- Why it is correct (The Key): hired AS + Noun denotes an official, actual job title. This is reality, not a comparison.
- Error Analysis: (a) like (Meaning Trap: Means being hired to do things similar to a coordinator, but holding a different official title). (b) as being (Structural Error). (d) to be as (Structural Error).
6 (c) like
- Why it is correct (The Key): The structure feel like + V-ing means to have the urge or desire to do something (I have the urge to pack my bags).
- Error Analysis: (a) as (Structural/Meaning Error). (b) as if (Structural Error: Followed by a full clause, not a gerund). (d) alike (Structural Error).
7 (b) as if
- Why it is correct (The Key): As if (meaning ‘as though’) is followed by a clause (someone is repeatedly hitting it). It introduces a hypothetical or unreal comparison.
- Error Analysis: (a) like as (Structural Error: Non-existent phrase). (c) as (Structural Error: Cannot introduce a hypothetical clause like this). (d) similar to (Structural Error: Followed by a noun).
8 (d) as
- Why it is correct (The Key): function AS + Noun means to operate in that actual role. The speaker is truly an employee and a caregiver.
- Error Analysis: (a) like (Meaning Trap: Implies the speaker is pretending or mimicking those roles). (b) as though (Structural Error). (c) alike (Structural Error).
9 (b) like
- Why it is correct (The Key): The speaker is comparing their stiff movements to a wooden puppet. It is a simile, not reality.
- Error Analysis: (a) as (Meaning Trap: Literally means the speaker is a puppet). (c) as to (Meaning Error). (d) just as (Structural Error).
10 (c) as
- Why it is correct (The Key): The collocation dismiss something AS something means to reject it in the capacity of that thing. The boss actually treated the complaint as a joke.
- Error Analysis: (a) like (Common Mistake: Wrong preposition for this specific verb phrase). (b) alike (Structural Error). (d) as if (Structural Error: Requires a clause).
11 (d) As
- Why it is correct (The Key): This is a fixed idiom: As is usually the case (meaning: as usually happens).
- Error Analysis: (a) Like (Common Mistake: Often mistranslated directly from native languages, but this specific idiom strictly requires “As”). (b) Which (Grammatical error at the beginning). (c) As if (Structural Error).
12 (b) like
- Why it is correct (The Key): “Sleep like a log” is a common English idiom for sleeping very deeply. You are comparing yourself to a log.
- Error Analysis: (a) as (Meaning Trap). (c) similar to (Unnatural/Clunky for an idiom). (d) as if (Structural Error).
13 (c) like
- Why it is correct (The Key): Use like + Noun/Pronoun as a preposition to show similarity (“similar to me”).
- Error Analysis: (a) as (Common Mistake: “as me” is grammatically incorrect for comparisons unless phrased as “as I do”). (b) such as (Used for examples, not direct comparison). (d) as if (Structural Error).
14 (a) like
- Why it is correct (The Key): The speaker is exaggerating their exhaustion. They are not actually an enslaved person; they just work with the same intensity as one. Therefore, like is required for the simile.
- Error Analysis: (b) as (Strong Meaning Trap: “I work as a slave” would mean slavery is their actual legal status/profession). (c) as if (Structural Error). (d) such as (Structural Error).
15 (d) as if
- Why it is correct (The Key): Use as if + a past continuous/simple clause (I was speaking) to express a hypothetical situation (the speaker wasn’t actually speaking an alien language).
- Error Analysis: (a) just like (Structural Error: Usually followed by a noun or gerund). (b) as (Common Mistake). (c) like as (Structural Error).
16 (b) like
- Why it is correct (The Key): A direct comparison to “disposable gears.” Humans are not gears, so this is a simile to evoke empathy.
- Error Analysis: (a) as (Meaning Trap). (c) as if (Structural Error). (d) alike (Structural Error).
17 (c) as
- Why it is correct (The Key): use something AS something. The coffee serves the actual function/role of being her fuel.
- Error Analysis: (a) like (Meaning Trap). (b) as though (Structural Error). (d) alike (Structural Error).
18 (b) as / like
- Why it is correct (The Key): “Regarded AS the most dependable person” means they are genuinely seen in that actual role (Reality). “Paid LIKE an intern” compares their low salary to an intern’s, even though they are an experienced worker (Similarity).
- Error Analysis: (a) like / as (Meaning Trap: Reverses the meaning). (c) as / as (Meaning Trap: Being paid “as an intern” would mean their official contract status is an intern, which contradicts the context). (d) like / like (Common Mistake).
19 (d) as / like
- Why it is correct (The Key): “Serving AS the project lead” states the actual job title. “Act LIKE spoiled children” compares the adults’ behavior to children (they are not actually children).
- Error Analysis: (a) like / as (Meaning Trap: Reverses reality and comparison). (b) as if / alike (Structural Error). (c) as / as (Meaning Trap).
20 (c) like
- Why it is correct (The Key): Someone like + Noun means someone similar to or such as that person.
- Error Analysis: (a) as (Structural Error). (b) such as (Less natural here than ‘like’ for a specific singular comparison). (d) as if (Structural Error).
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
- LIKE = The Similarity (Exaggeration & Empathy):
- Use Like + Noun/Pronoun to compare two things that are similar, but NOT actually the same in reality. This is highly effective when complaining or exaggerating exhaustion to gain empathy.
- Example: “I work like a dog.” (I work extremely hard, similar to a dog—but in reality, I am a human).
- Sensory verbs typically take Like: look like, feel like, sound like, behave like, treat someone like…
- AS = The Reality (Actual Role/Identity):
- Use As + Job title/Profession/Noun to state what someone or something REALLY is. It describes the genuine function or capacity.
- Example: “I function as a mother.” (I am officially a mother).
- Common verbs used with As: work as, serve as, act as, be hired as, use something as…
- As if / As though:
- These are conjunctions and must always be followed by a Clause (Subject + Verb). They are used to describe hypothetical or unreal situations, often to complain about unfair treatment.
- Example: “He treats me as if I were a machine.”
- Important Fixed Phrases:
- As is usually the case (As usually happens).
- Regard/View/Dismiss something as… (To consider something to be…).
- Feel like + V-ing (To have the urge or desire to do something – e.g., “I feel like quitting”).