Use like, not as, to
compare unlike things.
• Her perfume smells like oranges.
• Henry, like Harold, enjoys rollerblading.
Only use as if you implying that the
two things being compared are essentially the same. For instance,
if you want to say that a certain performer appears in the garb
of Elvis, you could use as.
• Betty sings as Elvis.
But if you want to suggest that Betty’s singing resembles
Elvis’s, you are making a comparison, so like is
the proper word.
• Betty sings like Elvis.
A few more examples:
• As a virgin, Mary was
very surprised to discover that she was pregnant.
Mary is a virgin; use as.
• Like a virgin, Madonna
is anxious about sleeping with her lover.
Madonna is not a virgin; she is only being compared
to a virgin. Use like.
• Madonna is as giddy as
a virgin.
As . . . as is a
comparison formula. Essentially, Madonna’s giddiness is the same
as a virgin’s giddiness. Since two identical things are being compared
(two giddinesses), use as.
