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as or like

English translation: He was like a father to me - a second father


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14:42 May 20, 2011
English to English translations [PRO]
Linguistics / Looking for better gramma
English term or phrase: as or like
Shall I put 'like' in the sentence below?

- He was for me like father, a second father.
Sterk
Local time: 04:18
English translation:He was like a father to me - a second father
Explanation:
The above is how I'd put it - changing the sentence order a bit. Like, definitely, and "a father" not "father". If you want to retain your word order, then "He was, for me, like a father - a second father" with the commas in place.
Selected response from:

Liz Broomfield
United Kingdom
Grading comment
Thank you Liz!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +11He was like a second father to me.
Jenni Lukac
4 +5He was like a father to me - a second father
Liz Broomfield
Summary of reference entries provided
Info
Kim Metzger

Discussion entries: 3





  

Answers


1 min   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +11
He was like a second father to me.


Explanation:
That would be the most natural way to put it in English.

Jenni Lukac
Local time: 03:18
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 24

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Allison Wright
4 mins
  -> Cheers and thanks, Allison. have a nice weekend.
agree  Noni Gilbert: Sounds more natural to me. Like = similar to, whereas as = is (I work as a translator, vs My son is behaving like a devil!
16 mins
  -> Thanks, Noni. Have a great weekend.
agree  liz askew
26 mins
  -> Thanks very much, Liz. Have a nice weekend.
agree  marybro
38 mins
  -> Cheers and thanks, Marybro. have a good weekend.
agree  Tina Vonhof
44 mins
  -> Cheers and thanks, Tina. Have a good weekend.
agree  cmwilliams
57 mins
  -> Greetings and thanks, cm. Have a nice weekend.
agree  Amel Abdullah
1 hr
  -> Greetings and thanks, Amel. Have a nice weekend.
agree  Jack Doughty
1 hr
  -> Thanks, Jack. Have a good weekend.
agree  Charles Davis
1 hr
  -> Thanks, Charles, Enjoy the weekend.
agree  Phong Le
8 hrs
  -> Cheers and thanks, Phong.
agree  Thuy-PTT
3 days17 hrs
  -> Many thanks, Thuy. Have a good day.
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

2 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +5
He was like a father to me - a second father


Explanation:
The above is how I'd put it - changing the sentence order a bit. Like, definitely, and "a father" not "father". If you want to retain your word order, then "He was, for me, like a father - a second father" with the commas in place.

Liz Broomfield
United Kingdom
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 20
Grading comment
Thank you Liz!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  LaraBarnett
1 min
  -> Thank you!
agree  Allison Wright
3 mins
  -> Thank you!
agree  Tina Vonhof: A possibility depending on the context.
44 mins
  -> Thank you!
agree  Charles Davis
1 hr
  -> Thank you!
agree  Bin Tiede: "He was like a second father to me" can imply that I already had a second father.
2 hrs
  -> I don't think so, but thanks for the agree!
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)




Reference comments


52 mins
Reference: Info

Reference information:
Like or As?
Like is a preposition. It should be followed by an object to make a prepositional phrase.
As is a conjunction. It should be followed by a clause containing a subject and a verb.
Incorrect: He runs like a gazelle does.
(Like is followed by a clause.)
Correct: He runs like a gazelle.
Correct: He runs as a gazelle does.
This is sometimes confusing because as occasionally is used with elliptical clauses which may resemble prepositional phrases.
Like is never used with clauses in standard English.

http://englishplus.com/grammar/00000236.htm

Kim Metzger
Mexico
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 187
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