4-1-04 Like/Such As

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" background="042d05a3.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>Big Ring Media Team, Inc.</B></FONT><B>    </B><B> |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Big Ring Media Team, Inc."><B>home</B></A></div> <bR> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" background="043d2123.jpg"> <div> Click on this link to return to <A HREF="id39.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Word Watch by Date">Word Watch by Date</A>.</div> <div> Click on this link to go to <A HREF="id40.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Word Watch by Subject">Word Watch by Subject</A>.</div> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 width="100%" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>4-1-04 Like/Such As</I></div> <div> We find a number of writers unable to distinguish between “like” and “such as.” Here's the deal: “Like” means Item A resembles Item B, but is not Item B. “Such as” means that Item B is an example of Item A.</div> <div> If we say, “Some women [Item A] like Mrs. Jones [Item B] have decided to proceed with surgery,” we're saying that women similar to Mrs. Jones have opted for surgery. Mrs. Jones, however, has not. If indeed Mrs. Jones will submit to surgery, then we should say, “Some women, such as Mrs. Jones, have decided to proceed with surgery.”</div> <div> Also consider:</div> <div> “Certain eastern states [Item A] like Massachusetts and Rhode Island [Item B] have enacted similar legislation.”</div> <div> If we mean states resembling Massachusetts and Rhode Island but <I>not</I> Massachusetts and Rhode Island (maybe New Hampshire and Connecticut), our sentence is correct. But if we mean states <I>including</I> Massachusetts and Rhode Island, we've erred. In that case we should have said:</div> <div> “Certain eastern states, such as Massachusetts and Rhode Island, have enacted similar legislation.”</div> <div> Note the use of commas. When we use “like,” we're introducing a restrictive element where Item B limits or defines Item A. Only women resembling Mrs. Jones or states similar to Massachusetts and Rhode Island are involved. In this case, no commas are required.</div> <div> When we use “such as,” we're introducing a nonrestrictive element. Now Item B serves as an example of Item A, but does not limit Item A. The only definition is by inference. In this case, commas are used to set off Item B.</div> </td> </tr></table></body>