Like vs AS

[prepp]

Hi,

MGMAT SC pg 264, no 19.

_ a child, Rebecca live in Bristol.

The answer is: "As". I'm confused about this since a child is a noun and Like follows a noun, hence like can be used here.

If both Like and As are are equally likely, which one must come here?

Thanks!

[Willy]

Hi,

MGMAT SC pg 264, no 19.

_ a child, Rebecca live in Bristol.

The answer is: "As". I'm confused about this since a child is a noun and Like follows a noun, hence like can be used here.

If both Like and As are are equally likely, which one must come here?

Thanks!

On MGMAT SC pg 264, Q #19 is

_ a child, Rebecca lived in Bristol.

So, AS is correct here. We need to check the intended meaning of the sentence here. With AS, sentence correctly says -- Rebecca lived in Bristol when she was a child.

If I go with your sentence and try to fit LIKE i.e.

_ a child, Rebecca live in Bristol.

we need singular verb - LIVES not LIVE.

[tim]

Willy, i'm not sure i follow your explanation at all, but i think the OP was asking whether to use LIKE or AS given the sentence as it's written in the book. the main thing to keep in mind is that LIKE can only be used to compare two nouns, and to use LIKE here is to say that Rebecca is or was LIKE a child, which is clearly not the case here. so we use AS..

[Willy]

Willy, i'm not sure i follow your explanation at all, but i think the OP was asking whether to use LIKE or AS given the sentence as it's written in the book. the main thing to keep in mind is that LIKE can only be used to compare two nouns, and to use LIKE here is to say that Rebecca is or was LIKE a child, which is clearly not the case here. so we use AS..

Thank you sir for the reply. I agree with you sir but what I was saying that q#19 on page 264 of MGMAT SC ed. 4th is different and says-

__ a child, Rebecca lived in Bristol. (not "live") and what this sentence says is what I wrote in my last post.

BTW, don't you think we also need to use "Lives" in the sentence not "Live"

[jnelson0612]

Willy, i'm not sure i follow your explanation at all, but i think the OP was asking whether to use LIKE or AS given the sentence as it's written in the book. the main thing to keep in mind is that LIKE can only be used to compare two nouns, and to use LIKE here is to say that Rebecca is or was LIKE a child, which is clearly not the case here. so we use AS..

Thank you sir for the reply. I agree with you sir but what I was saying that q#19 on page 264 of MGMAT SC ed. 4th is different and says-

__ a child, Rebecca lived in Bristol. (not "live") and what this sentence says is what I wrote in my last post.

BTW, don't you think we also need to use "Lives" in the sentence not "Live"

No, "lived" is definitely correct here. "As a child" implies that she did or was something as a child, but that she is no longer a child.

[Willy]

Willy, i'm not sure i follow your explanation at all, but i think the OP was asking whether to use LIKE or AS given the sentence as it's written in the book. the main thing to keep in mind is that LIKE can only be used to compare two nouns, and to use LIKE here is to say that Rebecca is or was LIKE a child, which is clearly not the case here. so we use AS..

Thank you sir for the reply. I agree with you sir but what I was saying that q#19 on page 264 of MGMAT SC ed. 4th is different and says-

__ a child, Rebecca lived in Bristol. (not "live") and what this sentence says is what I wrote in my last post.

BTW, don't you think we also need to use "Lives" in the sentence not "Live"

No, "lived" is definitely correct here. "As a child" implies that she did or was something as a child, but that she is no longer a child.

yes Jamie, thats what I was trying to say. Thank you for your kind reply.

[jnelson0612]

Great, my pleasure! :-)

[JbhB682]

Hi, MGMAT SC pg 187 (6th edition ), no 3.

(Like/As) a child, Rebecca live in Bristol.

The answer is: "As".

Hi , in the above question "As" is preferred because you intended to say -- Rebecca lived in Bristol when she was a child.

With that same thinking, isn't "As" preferred in the below Mprep question as well ?

In the below question -- you are comparing the style of eating -- Both my grandfather and a child eat the same way -- slurping / putting ketchup on everything -- hence I chose "As" in the below sentence too but "Like" is accurate for below

How to understand the difference between the two sentences ?

Thank you

Question 4) "My grandfather eats (LIKE/AS) a child, slurping loudly and helping himself to plenty of ketchup."
Answer : Like
Source : Manhattan, Sentence Correction, edition 6, no.4

[esledge]

In the grandfather example, both meanings make sense: the nouns (grandfather and child) are comparable and the verbs are comparable (they both eat).
The same is not true for the Rebecca example, so I think there's more flexibility in how the grandfather example is phrases.

You'd generally see the "like a child" part placed closer to "grandfather" on the GMAT; "like" comparisons are similar to noun modifiers, as they are clearer when touching the noun.

Correct/Typical: Like a child, my grandfather eats loudly and helps himself to plenty of ketchup.
Correct/Typical: My grandfather, like a child, eats loudly and helps himself to plenty of ketchup.
Correct/Acceptable: My grandfather eats like a child, slurping loudly and helping himself to plenty of ketchup.

I think the last one (from the book) is acceptable because:
(1) Since "like" means some noun is similar to "a child," the only possible noun is "grandfather."
(2) If "My grandfather eats as a child," the meaning is that my grandfather is playing the role of a child while eating, which is wrong. To clarify that this is not what "as" is saying...
(3) You'd have to add another verb to correctly use "as" to compare two verbs, as shown below.

Correct: My grandfather eats as a child does, slurping loudly and helping himself to plenty of ketchup.

By the way, the Idiom list in Appendix A of the 7th edition All the Verbal notes one similar "noun verbs like a noun" structure. Here is that note:

Right: The bay ACTED AS a funnel for the tide. (functioned as)
Right: My friend ACTED LIKE a fool. (behaved in a similar manner)
Suspect: The bay ACTED LIKE a funnel for the tide.

Note: At least one official explanation for an Official Guide problem claims that ACT LIKE must be used only with people. This claim is contradicted by other published problems. The way to resolve this issue is to ask whether the author intends metaphorical comparison (LIKE) or actual function (AS). If actual function is possible, use AS.

[JbhB682]

Thank you Emily for responding. If i could summarize,

example 1) As a child, I drank milk == here "As" is not a comparison marker but really a duration marker.

In the Rebecca example above, the "as" is not really being used as a comparison marker but more like a duration marker.

example 2) As a child drank, I drank milk == here "As" is used as a comparison marker because the verb "Drank" is on opposite sites and the comparison is focussed specifically on the verb "Drink" [ the comparison is how the child and I drank milk = slurping the milk perhaps ? spilling the milk perhaps ?]


example 3) like a child, I drank milk = Here "Like " is used as a comparison marker and the comparison is NOT on the verb (Drink) but really on the nouns (Me and the child) -- the focus on the comparison is on the nouns (me and child)

Last take-away : From a meaning perspective, sentence 2 and sentence 3 are exactly the same in terms of meaning

Please let me know your thoughts on my take-aways.

[esledge]

example 1) As a child, I drank milk == here "As" is not a comparison marker but really a duration marker.

In the Rebecca example above, the "as" is not really being used as a comparison marker but more like a duration marker.

Yes, duration or time marker. The "as" here is almost like "while" or "when": When I was a child, I drank milk. = As a child, I drank milk.

example 2) As a child drank, I drank milk == here "As" is used as a comparison marker because the verb "Drank" is on opposite sites and the comparison is focussed specifically on the verb "Drink" [ the comparison is how the child and I drank milk = slurping the milk perhaps ? spilling the milk perhaps ?]

Yes: "as" comparing two clauses means the two verbs are alike.

example 3) like a child, I drank milk = Here "Like " is used as a comparison marker and the comparison is NOT on the verb (Drink) but really on the nouns (Me and the child) -- the focus on the comparison is on the nouns (me and child)

Correct: there are two subjects (that are "like" each other) and they both "drank milk."

Last take-away : From a meaning perspective, sentence 2 and sentence 3 are exactly the same in terms of meaning

Yes! In (3), I am like a child, but we both share the same "drank milk" ending of the sentence, so that's the same as (2), where that shared verb is just repeated with each subject.