Error recognition

"He looked like..."

Otherwise OK.

In formal writing I would prefer "He looked as if he had been..." but in many contexts "like" is OK.

1. He looked like he had been in some strange land where age advanced at a double pace.

2. He looked as if he had been in some strange land where age advanced at a double pace.

I think the 'like' version is AmE, whereas the 'as if' version is BrE.

Yoong LiatI think the 'like' version is AmE, whereas the 'as if' version is BrE.

I don't think this is the full story because "like" in this sense is very common in BrE; I use it myself all the time in everyday conversation.

However, my preference for "as if" in formal writing might be a feature of British English (or maybe it's just me, I'm not

I remember reading that "It looks like it will rain" is AmE, whereas "It looks as af it will rain" is BrE. Or have I been misled by the English usage book written by a native writer?

Yoong Liathave I been misled by the English usage book written by a native writer?

First rule of linguistic research: Never trust a native informant.

CJ (or other AmE speakers), what's your perception of American English usage? Is "like" entirely acceptable in formal writing, or do you prefer "as if"?

(There's no doubt that "like" is used in everyday English in both AmE and BrE, so it's the formal use I'm interested in.)

Mr WordyCJ (or other AmE speakers), what's your perception of American English usage? Is "like" entirely acceptable in formal writing, or do you prefer "as if"?

Ooph! Big question. I would not say that "like" (as a conjunction) is entirely acceptable in formal writing, and I do prefer "as" or "as if" -- though I readily accept like as a conjunction

CalifJimI would not say that "like" (as a conjunction) is entirely acceptable in formal writing, and I do prefer "as" or "as if" -- though I readily accept like as a conjunction in informal speech.

Dictionaries are filled with usage notes on this. According to the advice in my American Heritage Dictionary, in formal writing like should not be used

Mr Wordywe do not seem to have identified any differences here between BrE and AmE.

Except for pronunciation and a miniscule number of vocabulary items and idioms, I find that claims about differences between BrE and AmE rarely turn out to be true. These claims are usually made by those who are intimately familiar with only one or the other, but not both.