Like vs. As – English Grammar Exercises for B2
Read the international student’s diary entry about their first day in New York City carefully, and choose the best option to complete the sentences.
1 After months of preparation, I finally arrived at JFK Airport ______ an international exchange student.
(a) like
(b) as
(c) as if
(d) similar to
2 Walking out of the subway station, the towering skyscrapers looked exactly ______ giant steel mountains touching the clouds.
(a) as
(b) like
(c) alike
(d) as though
3 The chaotic energy of Times Square was overwhelming; it felt ______ a crazy, fast-paced dream.
(a) as if
(b) as
(c) like
(d) such as
4 I watched in shock as a taxi driver used his horn ______ a weapon to clear the traffic ahead.
(a) as
(b) like
(c) as if
(d) similar to
5 The famous yellow cabs speeding down the avenues looked exactly ______ the ones I had grown up watching on television.
(a) as
(b) alike
(c) as though
(d) like
6 I stood completely frozen on the crowded sidewalk; I felt ______ I had accidentally stepped onto another planet.
(a) as if
(b) as
(c) like as
(d) similar to
7 The pedestrians walked incredibly fast, rushing past me ______ they were all late for a life-or-death meeting.
(a) like
(b) as
(c) as though
(d) alike
8 Even at midnight, the giant digital billboards lit up the night sky ______ it were broad daylight.
(a) as
(b) as if
(c) like
(d) just as
9 Even though I was holding a digital map, I felt completely helpless and lost, almost ______ a frightened child.
(a) as
(b) like
(c) as though
(d) as being
10 Hundreds of people pushed past me, completely ignoring my existence, treating me ______ I were invisible.
(a) as
(b) alike
(c) like
(d) as if
11 The background noise of the city was deafening; it sounded ______ a massive jet engine was constantly running above my head.
(a) as though
(b) like as
(c) as
(d) similar
12 I was officially enrolled at the university ______ a literature major, but standing there, I felt more ______ a tiny ant in a concrete jungle.
(a) like / as
(b) as / like
(c) as / as if
(d) like / alike
13 I bought a slice of pizza from a street vendor, and it tasted exactly ______ the authentic New York slices my brother had described.
(a) as
(b) as if
(c) like
(d) as though
14 I tried to act naturally and blend in, but my wide, amazed eyes made me stand out ______ a sore thumb.
(a) like
(b) as
(c) as if
(d) alike
15 Looking all the way up to the top of the Empire State Building, my neck instantly ached ______ I had been staring at the sky for hours.
(a) like
(b) as
(c) as though
(d) similar to
16 The city’s chaotic energy was deeply intoxicating, wrapping around my senses ______ a thick, invisible blanket.
(a) as
(b) as if
(c) like
(d) to be like
17 ______ is very common for first-time visitors, I completely misread the transit map and ended up taking the wrong subway line.
(a) Like
(b) As if
(c) Which
(d) As
18 The underground station smelled strange and metallic, almost ______ someone had spilled thousands of old coins everywhere.
(a) as
(b) as if
(c) like as
(d) alike
19 I cautiously approached a police officer working ______ a traffic controller, and to my surprise, he gave me friendly directions ______ I were a local.
(a) like / like
(b) as / as if
(c) like / as if
(d) as / as
20 Overwhelmed by the neon lights and the endless crowds, I felt exactly ______ the protagonist of a movie, acting ______ the whole city were my personal stage.
(a) as / like
(b) like / as if
(c) as if / as
(d) like / alike
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (b) as
- Why it is correct (The Key): Use As + Job title/Role to describe the actual capacity or reality. The author genuinely arrived in the capacity of an exchange student.
- Error Analysis: (a) like (Meaning Trap: Means they resemble a student but are not actually one). (c) as if (Structural Error: Must be followed by a clause). (d) similar to (Meaning Error).
2 (b) like
- Why it is correct (The Key): Use Like + Noun to express physical similarity. Skyscrapers are not actual mountains; they just visually resemble them.
- Error Analysis: (a) as (Meaning Trap: Implies they literally serve the function of mountains). (d) as though (Structural Error: Requires a subject and verb clause). (c) alike (Structural Error).
3 (c) like
- Why it is correct (The Key): The structure feel like + Noun is used to compare an experience or sensation to something else (a dream).
- Error Analysis: (a) as if (Structural Error: Requires a full clause, e.g., “as if it were a dream”). (b) as (Common Mistake). (d) such as (Structural Error: Used for listing examples).
4 (a) as
- Why it is correct (The Key): The phrase use something AS something means to utilize an object for a specific actual function. The horn was literally utilized in the role of a weapon.
- Error Analysis: (b) like (Meaning Trap: Less accurate here because ‘use as’ is the standard fixed collocation for assigning a function to an object). (c) as if (Structural Error). (d) similar to (Structural Error).
5 (d) like
- Why it is correct (The Key): look like + Noun is the standard phrase for visual resemblance.
- Error Analysis: (a) as (Meaning Trap: “Look as” is incorrect for comparing appearance to a noun). (c) as though (Structural Error: Requires a clause). (b) alike (Structural Error).
6 (a) as if
- Why it is correct (The Key): As if (or as though) must be followed by a clause (I had accidentally stepped…). It is used to describe a surreal, hypothetical feeling. The Past Perfect here (had stepped) emphasizes the unreal nature of the feeling.
- Error Analysis: (c) like as (Structural Error: Non-existent phrase). (b) as (Common Mistake). (d) similar to (Structural Error: Must be followed by a noun, not a clause).
7 (c) as though
- Why it is correct (The Key): As though is synonymous with as if and introduces a hypothetical clause (“they were all late”).
- Error Analysis: (a) like (Common Mistake: While informally used in spoken English, standard B2 grammar dictates ‘as if/as though’ for clauses). (b) as (Structural Error). (d) alike (Structural Error).
8 (b) as if
- Why it is correct (The Key): Introduces a hypothetical situation with a clause. Note the use of “it were” (Unreal Past / Subjunctive) instead of “it was” to emphasize that it is not actually daylight.
- Error Analysis: (c) like (Common Mistake: Informal. ‘As if’ is grammatically required for the subjunctive clause). (a) as (Structural Error). (d) just as (Meaning Trap: “Just as” means ‘at the exact same time’ or ‘in the exact same way as a fact’, not a hypothetical condition).
9 (b) like
- Why it is correct (The Key): Comparing the feeling to a noun (“a frightened child”). The author is not actually a child, so this is a simile using like.
- Error Analysis: (a) as (Meaning Trap: Implies the author’s actual identity is a child). (c) as though (Structural Error: Needs a clause). (d) as being (Structural Error).
10 (d) as if
- Why it is correct (The Key): The phrase “treating me…” requires a hypothetical clause to explain the manner of treatment. “As if I were invisible” (Unreal Past).
- Error Analysis: (c) like (Common Mistake: Colloquial. ‘As if’ is the formal correct choice for clauses). (a) as (Structural Error). (b) alike (Structural Error).
11 (a) as though
- Why it is correct (The Key): Follows a sensory verb (sounded) and introduces a full clause explaining a hypothetical scenario (a jet engine was running).
- Error Analysis: (c) as (Common Mistake). (b) like as (Structural Error). (d) similar (Structural Error).
12 (b) as / like
- Why it is correct (The Key): “Enrolled AS a literature major” describes the factual reality/role. “Felt more LIKE a tiny ant” is a figurative comparison to a noun.
- Error Analysis: (a) like / as (Meaning Trap: Reverses reality and comparison). (c) as / as if (Structural Error: ‘As if’ cannot precede just a noun). (d) like / alike (Structural Error).
13 (c) like
- Why it is correct (The Key): Taste like + Noun is used to compare flavors.
- Error Analysis: (b) as if (Structural Error: Needs a clause). (a) as (Common Mistake). (d) as though (Structural Error).
14 (a) like
- Why it is correct (The Key): “Stand out like a sore thumb” is a very common English idiom meaning to be very noticeably different from your surroundings.
- Error Analysis: (b) as (Meaning Trap: Would mean you literally are a thumb). (c) as if (Structural Error). (d) alike (Structural Error).
15 (c) as though
- Why it is correct (The Key): Introduces a hypothetical clause explaining the source of the pain (I had been staring…).
- Error Analysis: (a) like (Common Mistake: Used heavily in slang, but standard grammar requires ‘as though/as if’ before a clause). (b) as (Structural Error). (d) similar to (Structural Error).
16 (c) like
- Why it is correct (The Key): A direct figurative comparison to a noun phrase (“a thick, invisible blanket”).
- Error Analysis: (b) as if (Structural Error: Cannot precede just a noun phrase without a verb). (a) as (Meaning Trap: Energy cannot actually be a blanket). (d) to be like (Structural Error).
17 (d) As
- Why it is correct (The Key): This is a fixed phrase: As is common or As is often the case (meaning: Which is a common occurrence).
- Error Analysis: (a) Like (Common Mistake: Students often translate this directly, but the idiom requires ‘As’). (b) As if (Structural Error). (c) Which (Structural Error: Incorrect at the start of this specific clause structure).
18 (b) as if
- Why it is correct (The Key): Follows the sensory verb “smelled” and introduces a hypothetical explanatory clause (“someone had spilled…”).
- Error Analysis: (a) as (Structural Error). (c) like as (Structural Error). (d) alike (Structural Error).
19 (b) as / as if
- Why it is correct (The Key): “Working AS a traffic controller” states his actual, factual job at that moment. “Directions AS IF I were a local” introduces a hypothetical clause (the author is clearly not a local).
- Error Analysis: (d) as / as (Structural Error: ‘As’ cannot introduce this hypothetical clause). (a) like / like (Meaning Trap/Colloquialism). (c) like / as if (Meaning Trap: “Working like a controller” means he isn’t actually one).
20 (b) like / as if
- Why it is correct (The Key): “Felt exactly LIKE the protagonist” compares a feeling to a noun. “Acting AS IF the whole city were my stage” introduces a hypothetical clause with the Unreal Past (“were”).
- Error Analysis: (a) as / like (Meaning Trap). (c) as if / as (Structural Error). (d) like / alike (Structural Error).
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
- AS IF / AS THOUGH for Surreal Sentiments:
- Use As if or As though followed by a Clause (Subject + Verb) to describe a situation that is not real but feels like it is. It’s perfect for expressing culture shock!
- The Unreal Past: To emphasize that the situation is hypothetical, we often shift the tense back. Use Past Simple (or “were” for all subjects) for present feelings, and Past Perfect for past feelings.
- Example: “I felt as if I were in a dream.” (I was not actually in a dream).
- Example: “He treated me as though I had committed a crime.”
- LIKE for Noun Comparisons:
- Use Like + Noun/Pronoun to say two things share physical similarities or give similar feelings, even though they are fundamentally different.
- Example: “The buildings looked like mountains.” (They are not mountains).
- Common verbs used with Like: feel like, look like, sound like, taste like.
- Note: In informal spoken English, native speakers often use “like” before a clause (e.g., “It felt like I was dreaming”). However, in formal B2/C1 grammar, you must use as if / as though.
- AS for Reality and Function:
- Use As + Noun to state the actual identity, profession, or true function of a person or object.
- Example: “I arrived as a student.” (I really am a student).
- Example: “He used the map as an umbrella.” (The map actually functioned as an umbrella).
- Fixed Phrase Alert:
- As is common / As is usually the case (Meaning: as usually happens). Never use “Like is common”.