Like and Alike – What’s the difference between like and alike?
Like and Alike
Like
- Like as a preposition meaning ‘similar to’
- We often use it with to be and verbs of the senses such as look, sound, feel, taste, seem…
For example:
He looks like his father. (He looks similar to/ the same as his father.)
This tastes like coconut. (This tastes similar to/ the same as coconut.)
- Noun + be + like + Noun
Your bag is like my bag.
- Like + noun, + clause
Like his father, he is a technician.
- Like + pronoun
I have a hat like yours.
- When we use like to mean ‘similar to’, we can put words and phrase such as a bit, just, very, so and more before it to talk about the degree of similarity
The car was more like a green than a blue color.
Alike
- Alike as an adjective means ‘the same’ or ‘similar’
- As an adjective, alike is only used after a verb such as be, seem, look, but not before a noun
For example:
My two friends are alike. (My two friends are the same.)
His ideal and her ideal are quite similar, but they are not totally alike. (His ideal and her ideal are quite similar, but they are not totally the same.)
- Noun and Noun + be + alike/Plural Noun + be + alike
Your bag and my bag are alike.
These bags are alike.
- As an adverb alike means ‘in the same way’
I don’t think you treat both children alike.
When to Use Like and Alike | Image
Diego Mata
Friday 27th of May 2022
Thank you so much.
Kathy
Wednesday 24th of November 2021
Your explanation of like and alike is excellent. I am helping a young woman with ESL and yours is the best explanation and illustration I have found. Thank you.
Adriana Vejarano
Thursday 16th of September 2021
Thank you for you help