Tech Writer’s Lament

rogersgeorge on September 6th, 2019

One of my five rules is that documentation should be useful. Some places where I’ve worked are over-thorough. Like this place:

If you follow the link, it’s in the upper right corner of the comic.

And if you want to learn more about usefulness, get the free article I mention on the right side of this web page.

PS—Normally I use “such as” when I give an example, but I used “like” at the end of that first paragraph because it’s not a place I worked at, just similar.

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Modern Parlance

rogersgeorge on August 14th, 2019

I guess talking like a teenager is contagious, though I’ve heard adults use both “like” and “goes” for “said” for at least twenty years…

https://www.gocomics.com/daddyshome/2019/06/15

…though I’ve never heard anyone actually say “omg.”

Okay, where’s the lesson? Here:

Don’t use these expressions when you write to explain something, unless you’re quoting someone who talks like that.

Solution to the “Like or As” Problem

rogersgeorge on November 12th, 2018

I never thought about considering the simile as a solution to deciding whether to use “like” or “as” in a sentence until I saw this remarkably content-free comic:

Daddy's Home Comic Strip for September 10, 2018
https://www.gocomics.com/daddyshome/2018/09/10

A simile is a figure of speech that compares two things (think noun) by saying one is like the other. Its companion figure of speech is metaphor, which compares two things by saying one is the other. 

Simile: A donkey is like a horse
Metaphor: You, sir, are a donkey

I never heard of anyone in English class having a problem getting these right. 

Deciding whether to use “like” or “as” is a different matter. And here’s the solution:

Are you comparing two things? It’s a simile—use “like.” The donkey is like a clown.
Is it about verbs or adjectives? Use “as.” The donkey is as funny as a clown (is.) He hit his head as he bent over. He’s sick as a dog (is).

(The “is” is implied; I put it in so you could see it.)

Another “Like” and “As” lesson

rogersgeorge on October 10th, 2018

It’s been almost a year since I last mentioned this, so maybe it’s time for a refresher. 

Like many folks, this cat gets it wrong; first panel:

Remember: 

“Like” goes with nouns,
“As” goes with verbs.

So he should say “…as scientists have just concluded…”

For “like,” think of the book title, Black Like Me. Or maybe “My love is like a red red rose,” or what my wife says sometimes, “Beer tastes like dog piss.”

Good Old Like and As

rogersgeorge on December 16th, 2017

“Like” and “as” are easy to get mixed up. It doesn’t help a lot to say that “as” is an adverb and “like” is a preposition. Too complicated. You might find it easier to remember, perhaps, that “as” goes with verbs, and “like” goes with nouns and pronouns.

Here’s a guy who sounds right both times, uses two different constructions, and we understand him, but he’s wrong! Take a look at the second panel in the Dec 9, 2017 edition of Mr. Fitz:

“Think like I do” sounds right. That’s because you have the verb “do,” that goes with “I.” But technically, it should be “think as I do.” By the way, it’s a good idea to include that “do” in this sort of construction; doing so removes ambiguity.

Then he hauls off and says, “think like me.” And that also sounds correct! It sounds correct because “like” feels like a preposition with that “me” all by itself after it. Well, “like” is a preposition. But he’s modifying a verb (think) with an adjective phrase. That’s a no-no. Take the book title “Black Like Me.” The color, black, an adjective, goes with the pronoun “me.” That’s correct. If he had said “a thinker like me,” since “thinker” is a noun, he would be correct, at least grammatically.

Heavy-duty grammar lesson today. Sorry.