Like vs. As – English Grammar Exercises for B2
Read the transcript of the Marketing Director’s speech during the executive board meeting carefully, and choose the best option to complete the sentences.
1 “Members of the board, speaking to you today ______ the Head of Marketing, I must firmly advise against this budget cut.”
(a) like
(b) as
(c) as if
(d) similar to
2 “I know the finance department sees this campaign as an unnecessary expense, but it is nothing ______ our previous failed experiments.”
(a) like
(b) as
(c) alike
(d) such as
3 “Exactly ______ I highlighted in my quarterly report last week, our brand visibility is currently at an all-time low.”
(a) like
(b) similar
(c) as
(d) as if
4 “We cannot continue spending our advertising budget ______ we have an endless supply of venture capital.”
(a) as
(b) like as
(c) alike
(d) as if
5 “My primary responsibility ______ a corporate executive is to protect the long-term image of this company.”
(a) like
(b) as
(c) to be as
(d) as being
6 “If we cut the digital marketing funds now, we will look ______ complete amateurs in front of our competitors.”
(a) as
(b) like
(c) as though
(d) similar
7 “I strongly suggest that we use last year’s successful holiday campaign ______ a baseline for our future strategies.”
(a) like
(b) as
(c) as if
(d) alike
8 “Some of you treat customer engagement ______ it were a metric we can just ignore, but it drives our core sales.”
(a) like
(b) as
(c) as though
(d) just as
9 “Much ______ our main competitors, we are facing unprecedented changes in consumer behavior this quarter.”
(a) as
(b) like
(c) similar
(d) as if
10 “I refuse to accept this sudden drop in our market share ______ a mere coincidence; it is a direct result of poor product placement.”
(a) as
(b) like
(c) alike
(d) as to
11 “______ is often the case in the tech industry, consumer loyalty can vanish overnight if we stop innovating.”
(a) Like
(b) As if
(c) Which
(d) As
12 “We must execute this upcoming product launch exactly ______ the research and development team planned it.”
(a) like
(b) as
(c) similar to
(d) as if
13 “I may sound ______ a pessimist today, but my job is to calculate risks, not just to sell you false optimism.”
(a) as
(b) like
(c) alike
(d) as being
14 “The CEO dismissed my recent consumer survey data ______ a temporary trend, which was a grave mistake.”
(a) like
(b) as
(c) as though
(d) similar to
15 “Let this disastrous Q2 financial report serve ______ a serious wake-up call for everyone in this room.”
(a) like
(b) as
(c) as if
(d) to be
16 “I am advising you ______ a dedicated employee who wants this company to succeed, not acting ______ a rebel trying to cause trouble.”
(a) like / as
(b) as / as if
(c) as / like
(d) like / like
17 “When you announced the sudden price increase to the public, you behaved ______ you didn’t care about customer retention at all.”
(a) as if
(b) just like
(c) as
(d) like as
18 “We can no longer run this global division ______ a small start-up; we must start operating ______ a mature, publicly-traded corporation.”
(a) like / as
(b) as / like
(c) as / as
(d) like / like
19 “If we treat our loyal demographic ______ a disposable asset, they will leave us for our rivals.”
(a) like
(b) as
(c) as if
(d) alike
20 “To conclude, I ask the board to regard my marketing proposal not ______ an expense, but ______ a vital investment in our future.”
(a) like / like
(b) as / as
(c) like / as
(d) as if / as if
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (b) as
- Why it is correct (The Key): Use As + Job title/Role to describe a genuine capacity or position. The speaker is asserting their actual authority (“In my capacity as the Head of Marketing”).
- Error Analysis: (a) like (Meaning Trap: “Speaking like the Head of Marketing” implies the person is not actually the Head, but is just imitating one). (c) as if (Structural Error: Must be followed by a full clause). (d) similar to (Meaning Error).
2 (a) like
- Why it is correct (The Key): Use Like + Noun to compare two things and say they are similar (or in this case, “nothing like” meaning not similar).
- Error Analysis: (b) as (Common Mistake: ‘As’ cannot be used as a preposition of similarity before a noun in this way). (c) alike (Structural Error: ‘Alike’ is an adjective/adverb and cannot be followed by a noun object). (d) such as (Used for giving examples, not for direct comparison of similarity).
3 (c) as
- Why it is correct (The Key): Use As + Clause (Subject + Verb) to mean “in the way that.”
- Error Analysis: (a) like (Common Mistake: While ‘like’ is often used informally before a clause in spoken English, in formal business/academic English (B2/C1), ‘as’ is the grammatically correct conjunction). (b) similar (Structural Error). (d) as if (Meaning Trap: Means “hypothetically,” but the report was real).
4 (d) as if
- Why it is correct (The Key): As if (or as though) introduces a hypothetical or unreal situation followed by a clause. They do not have an endless supply of capital.
- Error Analysis: (a) as (Structural Error: ‘As’ means it is a factual reality, which contradicts the context). (b) like as (Structural Error). (c) alike (Structural Error).
5 (b) as
- Why it is correct (The Key): As + Noun defines the actual role and reality. The speaker truly is a corporate executive.
- Error Analysis: (a) like (Meaning Trap: Implies they are pretending to be an executive). (c) to be as (Structural Error). (d) as being (Structural Error).
6 (b) like
- Why it is correct (The Key): The sensory verb look requires like when followed by a noun to express visual or perceived resemblance (look like + Noun).
- Error Analysis: (a) as (Meaning Trap: “Look as” is grammatically incorrect). (c) as though (Structural Error: Must be followed by a full clause). (d) similar (Structural Error: Requires ‘to’).
7 (b) as
- Why it is correct (The Key): The phrase use something AS something assigns a specific function or role to an object or concept.
- Error Analysis: (a) like (Meaning Trap: Implies it resembles a baseline but isn’t actually used as one). (c) as if (Structural Error). (d) alike (Structural Error).
8 (c) as though
- Why it is correct (The Key): As though is synonymous with as if and is followed by a clause containing an unreal past verb (“it were”) to describe a hypothetical manner of treatment.
- Error Analysis: (a) like (Common Mistake: In formal grammar, use ‘as though/as if’ before a clause, not ‘like’). (b) as (Structural Error). (d) just as (Meaning Trap: Means “at the exact same time”).
9 (b) like
- Why it is correct (The Key): Like + Noun/Pronoun is used as a preposition to show similarity (“Similar to our competitors”).
- Error Analysis: (a) as (Common Mistake: Cannot be used as a preposition of similarity before a noun phrase). (c) similar (Structural Error: Missing ‘to’). (d) as if (Structural Error).
10 (a) as
- Why it is correct (The Key): The collocation accept something AS something means to recognize or categorize it in a certain factual capacity.
- Error Analysis: (b) like (Common Mistake: Wrong preposition for this fixed phrase). (c) alike (Structural Error). (d) as to (Structural Error).
11 (d) As
- Why it is correct (The Key): This is a fixed, formal phrase: As is often the case (meaning “which is a common situation”).
- Error Analysis: (a) Like (Common Mistake: A direct, incorrect translation of “similar to the case”). (b) As if (Structural Error). (c) Which (Grammatical error given the sentence structure).
12 (b) as
- Why it is correct (The Key): As + Clause (Subject + Verb) means “in the exact manner that.”
- Error Analysis: (a) like (Common Mistake: Informal. In a formal board meeting, use ‘as’ before a clause). (c) similar to (Structural Error). (d) as if (Meaning Trap).
13 (b) like
- Why it is correct (The Key): The sensory verb sound takes like when followed by a noun to express perceived similarity (sound like + Noun).
- Error Analysis: (a) as (Structural Error). (c) alike (Structural Error). (d) as being (Structural Error).
14 (b) as
- Why it is correct (The Key): The collocation dismiss something AS something means to reject an idea because you officially categorize it as that thing.
- Error Analysis: (a) like (Common Mistake). (c) as though (Structural Error: Requires a clause). (d) similar to (Meaning Error).
15 (b) as
- Why it is correct (The Key): The collocation serve AS something means to perform the function or role of that thing.
- Error Analysis: (a) like (Meaning Trap). (c) as if (Structural Error). (d) to be (Structural Error).
16 (c) as / like
- Why it is correct (The Key): “Advising you AS a dedicated employee” states the speaker’s true, actual identity. “Acting LIKE a rebel” compares their behavior to a rebel (implying they are not actually a rebel).
- Error Analysis: (a) like / as (Meaning Trap: Reverses reality and comparison). (b) as / as if (Structural Error: ‘As if’ requires a clause). (d) like / like (Common Mistake).
17 (a) as if
- Why it is correct (The Key): Followed by a clause (“you didn’t care”) to indicate a hypothetical or unreal manner of behaving.
- Error Analysis: (b) just like (Structural Error: Usually followed by a noun or gerund). (c) as (Common Mistake). (d) like as (Structural Error).
18 (a) like / as
- Why it is correct (The Key): “Run this division LIKE a start-up” is a comparison (the division is huge, so it is not a start-up, but they are treating it like one). “Operating AS a mature corporation” is stating their actual reality (they are a mature corporation).
- Error Analysis: (b) as / like (Meaning Trap: Reverses the meaning). (c) as / as (Meaning Trap). (d) like / like (Common Mistake).
19 (b) as
- Why it is correct (The Key): Treat someone/something AS something is a standard collocation meaning to interact with someone in that specific capacity. (Note: “treat like” is also commonly used for behavior, but in professional contexts assigning a definitive status to an asset, “treat as” is standard).
- Error Analysis: (a) like (While grammatically permissible in casual speech, ‘treat as an asset’ is the definitive corporate collocation). (c) as if (Structural Error). (d) alike (Structural Error).
20 (b) as / as
- Why it is correct (The Key): The phrase is regard something AS something (to view or classify something in a certain way). Both gaps require ‘as’ to maintain parallel structure in the classification.
- Error Analysis: (c) like / as (Structural Error). (a) like / like (Common Mistake). (d) as if / as if (Structural Error).
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
- AS = Authority & Reality:
- Use As + Noun to state a person’s actual job, role, or the true function of an object. In a corporate setting, this establishes authority.
- Example: “Speaking as the Director…” (I truly am the Director).
- Key Collocations: work as, serve as, act as, use something as, regard something as, dismiss something as, accept as.
- LIKE = Similarity & Comparison:
- Use Like + Noun/Pronoun to compare two things that share characteristics but are fundamentally different.
- Example: “We must not act like amateurs.” (We are professionals, not amateurs).
- Sensory Verbs: Always use look like, sound like, feel like before a noun.
- AS + Clause:
- Use As + Subject + Verb to mean “in the way that.”
- Example: “Please execute the plan exactly as we discussed.” (Avoid using ‘like’ here in formal business English).
- AS IF / AS THOUGH:
- These conjunctions must be followed by a Clause (Subject + Verb) to describe hypothetical, unreal situations, often used to criticize someone’s behavior.
- Example: “You are spending money as if we had an endless budget.”
- Fixed Professional Phrases:
- As is often the case (Which is a common situation).
- As I mentioned / As stated in the report.