Does American English make a distinction between “like” and “such as”? Whenever I read books from the U.S they always seem to use “like,” even when “such as” would seem more appropriate.
it's merely a matter of style/choice... i've seen both used by american writers... and either can be grammatically correct, depending on context... however, some unseasoned writers do use 'like' incorrectly... as unseasoned writers anywhere do with many words...
I think it comes down to preference to the writer. But if there is some distinction I don't know about it.
The difference is the age of writing itself. Like is more recently used and has more than one meaning. Such as has one meaning. It is also an older style or more polite style of writing.
Like or as In American English we are supposed to adhere to the same rules on this point, as most people do in British English. But with the informality of spoken language, the word "like" creeps in with perfect anonymity and general acceptance. Like is "supposed to be" a preposition rather than a subordinating conjunction. But in general usage, it is accepted, particularly in conversation. Diana Hacker (A Writer's Reference) says to use "as" in all formal writing and "like" only in casual speech. But Bryan Garner, who is the American version of Fowler, offers more than just this "proper" interpretation. He says, "Frequently… like needs to be replaced by the proper conjunction, as (or as if) … [but] this relatively simple precept … has been increasingly flouted in American speech. Examples of like used conjunctively can be found throughout the Middle English period; but the usage was widely considered nonstandard from the 17th through the mid-20th centuries. Then defenders came along, raising it to the level of a standard casualism. …Although this use of like can no longer be considered an outright solecism, as it once was, it hasn't moved far from the borderline of acceptability. It is acceptable casual English; it isn't yet in the category of unimpeachable English." I apologize for this, but this site apparently does not allow for italicized text, nor for the html code to accomplish it. The words "like" and "as" etc, were supposed to be italicized in this quoted passage.
This site does allow italicised text and other formatting effects, but doesn't use HTML to do it, it uses BBCode. Try those buttons at the top of the editing pane.
The site's FAQ can be accessed from the Important Links frame on the WF home page, and that also explains the BB codes.
