SKILL 59: DISTINGUISH LIKE, ALIKE AND UNLIKE (STRUCTURE AND WRITTEN EXPRESSION)

LONGMAN COMPLETE COURSE FOR THE TOEFL TEST

STRUCTURE AND WRITTEN EXPRESSION

SKILL 59: DISTINGUISH LIKE, ALIKE AND UNLIKE

Like, alike and alike are easily confused because they look so similar and they have many different uses. There are several structures with like, alike and unlike that you should be familiar with.

Study the use of alike and like in the following examples.

John and Tom are alike John and Tom worked in a like manner.

In both these examples, alike and like are adjectives that mean similar. In the first example, alike is a predicate adjective describing John and Tom. Because alike is a predicate adjective, it can only be used after a linking verb such as are. In the second example, like is the adjective form that is used immediately before the noun manner.

The next structures you should be familiar with are the prepositions like and unlike, which have opposite meanings. Because they are prepositions, they must be followed by objects.

John is (like Tom) John is (unlike Tom) (Like Tom), John is tall (Unlike Tom), John is tall

In the first example, the preposition like is followed by the object Tom. It means that Tom and John are similar. In the second example, the preposition unlike is followed by the object Tom. It means that Tom and John are not similar. The prepositions like and unlike can also be used at the beginning of a sentence.

The following chart outlines the structures and meanings of sentences with like, alike, and unlike.

 

EXERCISE 59: Each of the following sentences contains like, alike or unlike. Circle the like words. Then indicate if the sentences are correct (C) or incorrect (I).

____________	3	Alike the restaurant where we usually eat, this new restaurant has eraly-bird specials.
____________	4	Unlike the traditional red fire engines, the new fire engines are yellow.
____________	5	The two girls were embarrassed because they were wearing alike dresses.
____________	6	The new piece that the pianist is preparing is unike any she has ever played before.
____________	7	Like the Washington Zoo, the San Diego Zoo had several panda bears.
____________	8	The insurance package offered by that company is exactly alike the package our company offers.
____________	9	Any further work done in a like fashion will be rejected.
____________	10	It is unfortunate that the covers for this year’s and last year’s albums are so alike.

ANSWER KEY

1	I	(like should be alike)
2	C
3	I	(Alike should be Like)
4	C
5	I	(alike should be like)
6	C
7	C
8	I	(alike should be like)
9	C
10	C