The Grammar Nerd: Like vs. As – Than vs. Then – Infer vs. Imply
By: Sydnee Bagovich
Like vs As
Which of these sentences is grammatically correct?
- She felt like a kid again.
- She felt like she was back in high school.
“Like” is generally used as a preposition, a word that indicates a relation between two words (on, above, between, with). Generally speaking, “like” is used when there is no verb following. All too often, “like” is used, when really “as” or “as if” should be used. “As” and “as if” are used as conjunctions, or connecting words (and, or, but). An easier way to remember: when a verb follows and you want to use “like”, try replacing with “as”.
So, after all that, what’s the answer? The correct sentence is #1.
His email sounded more like a slap in the face than a compliment.
She behaved like a child.
You look as if you have been (verb) up all night.
She asked questions as a new student would ask (verb).
Pay attention to how often you hear this—or even how frequently you might use “like” incorrectly.
Than and Then
These two words get confused regularly in writing. I have a little memory trick that should help! It uses the difference between the two letters—the A and the E:
“ThAn” is used to compAre.
“ThEn” is about timE.
Comparisons:
She is taller than her brother.
Today’s lecture was much better than the lecture from yesterday.
The movie was over much sooner than I had expected.
Time:
They went shopping, and then they had lunch.
If you want to be on time, then you should leave soon.
The house was oddly quiet, and then he burst into the room.
Infer and Imply
These two words create some confusion. Not sure when to use which? There is an easy way to remember.
The receiver/reader infers, and the speaker/writer implies.
So, when you receive an email message, and you suspect that those words have a hidden meaning behind them, you infer from what the writer has written. While talking with your friend, and you think she is really trying to say something other than what is actually being spoken, you infer a hidden meaning.
When you are the one who is sending the email, and you just don’t come right out and say what you really mean, you are implying something in your message. Or, when relaying a story about something that happened, you might use a little sarcasm and facial expressions that don’t quite go with the pleasantries that you are speaking, you are likely implying something other than what you are saying.
As always, I hope that you find my tips helpful. I would be happy to address a topic for you in an upcoming article. I can also help you if you need a second set of eyes for a professional review of your proposal, presentation or website material. And, if you are looking for a presenter for your group or organization about the importance of good grammar in communication, I can customize a program for you. You can reach me at sydnee@thegrammarnerd.com, see other articles on my website at www.thegrammarnerd.com, and visit me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/thegrammarnerd for more tips and tricks!
Sydnee Bagovich provides professional proofreading services for your business: websites, brochures, presentations… You write it. She makes it right. You can reach her at grammar.nerd@yahoo.com.