Dear instructors,
SC Strategy Guide 5th Ed Page18

It says:
"Now you might look at the including/like split at the beginning of the choices. Unfortunately, this split is not definitive. The GMAT used to claim that like simply meant "similar to" and could not introduce examples. However, the exam writers have moderate this hardline position in published explanations. As a result, either including or like would technically work in the sentence. "

I'm interested in this because this seems to change what I have previously learned about like, and I also notice that in 4th Ed this issue "like = similar to" is treated as a hardline rule. So what's GMAT's position now in detail? could you kindly elaborate on this (or provide reference)? Thanks in advance.

Like vs Such As used to be something that old OG problems would point out as a reason to exclude certain answers. In fact, if you Google "Like vs Such As GMAT" you'll probably find a lot of information about the difference between the two- including references to the old edition of our SC book. Ultimately, certain writing style guides don't make a distinction between the two phrases and since it has become conversationally acceptable to say either one, the GMAT has de-emphasized this point. Take a look at the blue verbal book SC #65 to see an example where the GMAT uses "like" to mean "for example."

What does this mean for you- take note of the difference and if it's down to two otherwise identical options, recognize that like is supposed to mean "similar" while such as means "for example." But it's doubtful that a real GMAT will have this cast the deciding vote between two answer choices.

_________________
Joe Lucero
Manhattan GMAT Instructor

Oh I get it. "While there has been some dispute over the use of like to mean 'for example', this is an acceptable use." -Verbal Rev 2nd

Thanks Joe for your suggestion.

No problem

btw, I'm briefly answering all your posts to make sure we've answered all questions to each post :)

_________________
Joe Lucero
Manhattan GMAT Instructor

Joe,
I did not get your point. OG has quoted that "like" can mean "for example". But above you mentioned that

Joe is saying is that you should only use the distinction between "like" and "such as" if the answer choices are otherwise identical except for the "like/such as" distinction.

For example, let's say that we have narrowed the answer choices down to these two options:

A) She studied subjects such as history and economics.
B) She studied subjects like history and economics.

C, D, and E are all wrong for solid grammatical reasons.

In this case, we can see that the only difference is between "like" and "such as". Because of this, we can consider that "like" should mean "similar to" and "such as" should mean "for example". As a result, A is the better answer choice; this woman likely studied history and economics, not subjects similar to them.

Joe is saying do not use this distinction unless you are in this exact situation: down to two answer choices and this is the only difference between the two. I hope that this makes sense! :-)

_________________
Jamie Nelson
ManhattanGMAT Instructor