Like

Like has different meanings: 

1. We can use to like to say that we find a thing is good: 
I like my house. = I think my house is good.
I like Jenny = I think Jenny is an OK person.

2. We can use like for "the same as" or "nearly the same as":

This cheese sandwich feels like rubber = the sandwich is difficult to eat, nearly the same as rubber.
Jenny is like her mother = Jenny has brown hair, and her mother also has brown hair (for example). 
Your pen is like my pen = Your pen and my pen are the same sort.

3. We can also use like for "the same way as":
She runs like the wind - she and the wind are both fast.
She talks like a child - she and children speak slowly or with a high voice.

4. In a question, we can use like to ask people to talk about a thing, or to say if they find it good or not:
What's your house like? (Answer: "It has two bedrooms and a big kitchen...")
What was the film like? (Answer: "It was very good!")

5. We can also use like as "for example":
I often go to other countries, like France or Germany = I go to other countries, for example France and Germany.

6. In British and American English young people, when talking, have recently started using like as an extra word in the middle of sentences. Sometimes they use it to report what someone said, especially when mimicking the way they said it. This should never be used in writing:
The teacher was like: "Don't do that!"

As works in the same way as example 2 - comparing two things using either the word "like" or the word "as" is called making a simile (As big as an elephant). It may be better to use the word "as" for this to stop confusion with example 1.

Category:Basic English 850 words