This is part of the difference between series.
Did you know there’s a difference between like and as? I mean, more than just their spelling. Most people probably don’t, and that’s probably because most people just use like.
Here’s the difference between the two.
Like
Technically speaking, like is a preposition. We use it to describe how, when, or where something is happening.
- My 3-year-old-son acts like a puppy.
- Why does the car smell like rotten tuna?
- Everyone say I look like my grandpa.
As
As, on the other hand, is a conjunction, joining two clauses.
- He was late to the birthday party, just as I had predicted.
- My cat swims in the pond as if he were a fish.
- You look as if you have seen a ghost.
In the examples above, you can see that the like examples compare things: son → puppy, car smell → rotten tuna, me → grandpa. As, however, connects two actions: was late → had predicted, swims → were, look → seen. If a verb follows after the connection, you probably need as.
Hopefully that clears things up. All that being said, remember that this mostly applies to formal writing. Conversationally, people just usually use like.
Which words do you confuse? Let me know in the comments below.