Is this sentence correct?

Question

He play guitar like his father does.

I have some doubt about this 'like'. I think we should say either:

He play guitar like his father.

or:

He play guitar as his father does.

But I'm not sure. Can someone shed some light on this sentence?

thanks,

/P

Raul · Accepted Answer

"Like" is a preposition in this case, so it must be followed by a noun or a pronoun.

He plays (the) guitar like his father.
My brother isn't much lilke me.

"As" is a conjunction, so it is followed by a clause (with a subject and verb).

He plays (the) guitar as his father does.
She is a teacher, as her mother used to be.

However, in informal AmE, "like" is very often used as a conjunction instead of "as":

Nobody loves you like I do, babe.

This usage is becoming common, but it's considered 'incorrect' in formal styles of both BrE and AmE.

Hope this helps!

Raul

CalifJim · Answer

FYI, from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:

Main Entry: 7like
Function: conjunction
1 a : AS IF b -- used in intensive phrases
2 : in the same way that : AS
3 a : in the way or manner that b -- used interjectionally in informal speech often with the verb be to introduce a quotation, paraphrase, or thought expressed by or imputed to the subject of the verb, or with it's to report a generally held opinion
4 : such as -- used interjectionally in informal speech

usage Like has been used as a conjunction since the 14th century. In the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries it was used in serious literature, but not often; in the 17th and 18th centuries it grew more frequent but less literary. It became markedly more frequent in literary use again in the 19th century. By mid-century it was coming under critical fire, but not from grammarians, oddly enough, who were wrangling over whether it could be called a preposition or not. There is no doubt that, after 600 years of use, conjunctive like is firmly established. It has been used by many prestigious literary figures of the past, though perhaps not in their most elevated works; in modern use it may be found in literature, journalism, and scholarly writing. While the present objection to it is perhaps more heated than rational, someone writing in a formal prose style may well prefer to use as, as if, such as, or an entirely different construction instead.

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