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Topic: Like/ Alike |
11 April 2002 |
Hello, your nanny is back with some headaches again. This week we will try to tackle the
confusing usage of like and alike.
Like can be a verb, which
show your preferences. Let's have a look at some examples:
I like to sing in the shower, but nobody likes to listen to me.
The teacher likes us to come to class on time.
John bought some chocolate for his girlfriend because she likes sweets.
Like can also be a preposition. Like as a preposition
means 'same as' and is followed by a noun.
Here are some examples:
This necklace looks like gold.
Susie looks exactly like her mother, but Sam, her sister, looks more like her father.
Like Nancy, Julia loves to draw pictures of animals and play the piano. |
On the other hand, alike is an adjective. It can be used to
follow verb to be and linking verbs (seem, look, sound, feel, taste, appear, etc). You can't use alike before a noun.
To some westerners, all Asians look alike.
The two sisters are alike since they are twins.
Turkey and chicken taste alike to me.
Alike can also be used as an adverb to modify a verb.
The doctor treats everyone alike.
Another word that might cause confusion is ' likely'.
Even though it ends in -ly, this word is not an adverb. (Actually many adjectives end
in -ly such as friendly, lovely, and costly.) Likely is an adjective and it means 'possible'.
It is likely that he will come late because he just left home.
Candidates with a lot of working experience are likely to get hired.
What is the likeliest time to find him at home?
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Note:
Like (verb, preposition)
Alike (adjective, adverb)
Likely (adjective) |
= to enjoy, same as
= similarly
= possible |
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Exercise: Like and Alike |
| Directions : Choose the word that best suits the context in each sentence. |
 1. _______ oranges, lemons are high in vitamin C. |
| 2. It is _______ that it will rain today. |
| 3. It looks _______ another hot day in Bangkok. |
| 4. Nobody _______ the summer. |
| 5. They argue very often because they are _______ in attitude. |
| 6. Lucy is _______ to be successful since she is hard-working. |
| 7. Though they are twins, they are not _______ at all. |
| 8. Durians are _______ bananas in that they are sweet and fattening. |
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Answers |
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