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TeacherJapan Posted 10 years ago
Grammar

Is this phrase correct?

I saw something that looked like a UFO.

Is it possible to say, "something like a UFO" instead of "something that looked like a UFO?"
  

Top answer

It is possible that someone may say that, but I prefer the original.

— GPY

  • It is possible that someone may say that, but I prefer the original.
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13 Answers
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It is possible that someone may say that, but I prefer the original.
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For some reason, I've heard people say "someone like him" as in, "I want to marry like him.' But when my student wrote "I saw something like a UFO," I thought it sounded unfamiliar to me. The original is far more common than the other one?
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teacherJapan For some reason, I've heard people say "someone like him" as in, "I want to marry like him.' But when my student wrote "I saw something like a UFO," I thought it sounded unfamiliar to me. The original is far more common than the other one?
I feel that "far more common" may be overstating it.

The nuance of "I saw something like a UFO" and
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GPYIt is possible that someone may say that, but I prefer the original.
Would it not be simpler to say I saw a UFO?
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AnonymousWould it not be simpler to say I saw a UFO?
Well, that would be a more definite statement. The speaker is saying that it was a UFO, not merely that it looked like one.
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Thank you very much, GPY:) Now I get it:)
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AnonymousWould it not be simpler to say I saw a UFO?
That's an interesting nuance to think about. The "U" means unidentified, so in a way, "looks like a UFO" is already redundant. What's the difference, when you can't identify a thing, between its being unidentified and its looking like it's unidentified?
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CalifJimThe "U" means unidentified, so in a way, "looks like a UFO" is already redundant. What's the difference, when you can't identify a thing, between its being unidentified and its looking like it's unidentified?
In my opinion, the term "UFO" has, in most ordinary usage, acquired sufficient extra connotations to defeat this argument.
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GPYIn my opinion, the term "UFO" has, in most ordinary usage, acquired sufficient extra connotations to defeat this argument.
Agreed, but still, in my opinion, a useful observation to make as a mini-lesson in how language evolves.

Frankly, after thinking about it briefly, I don't know what a UFO (ordinary usage) "looks like". Would it have to be a sa
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Wow! This topic is more complicated than it seems. But come to think about it in detail, it's quite interesting, indeed:)
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