Writing Tip 62: Like vs. As
Everyone knows Forrest Gump’s mama was a wise lady, but she’s also a grammarian role model, nailing a subtle rule few know or follow. Everyone likes a good simile – especially Southerners – but whether you use “like” or “as” in your comparison is not simply a matter of pure choice.
To be brief, use “like” when no verb follows, and use “as” when the following clause contains a verb. We could get more technical and discuss prepositions and objects of the preposition versus the use of conjunctions, but that’s all of the dry grammar that scares people away from English classes. I like to keep things simple.
Back to Mama Gump:
Example 1: “Life is like a box of chocolates” – note no verb follows, so “like” is correct.
Example 2: “Stupid is as stupid does.” – since “does” is a verb, “as” is correct here.
In closing, to quote Forrest, “And that’s all I have to say about that.” Got it?