I have been wondering which I should use "like" or "unlike" in negative sentences.
For example, I came across the following sentence.
One woman whose desk is very cluttered says;
His desk isn't covered by stacks of paper like mine.
When I heard the sentence, I thought her desk was also neat (like him). If her desk was very messy, I think she should have said, "His desk isn't covered by stacks of paper unlike mine."
If somebody says, "He doesn't like animals like John.", I wonder if John likes animals or not.
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6 comments:
Hi Sand,
If you use unlike this way it has additional connotation (subtle meanings) such as perhaps the women is busier or a harder worker than the man because she has lot more paperwork on her desk.
But they both mean that his desk is not clutter but hers is.
Liam (lang-8.com/liam)
Hi Liam,
Thank you for visiting my blog! How are you?
I appreciate your explanation. I understand it well.
Thank you!
hieee sand where are you??? and so far there is no article on your blog.. really miss to read your article... so come soon.. miss you..
Avinash,
Thank you for your comment!
I've been a bit busy, but I come back.(^.^)
The last example you use is interesting. As a native American English speaker, I understand this sentence as suggesting that John is an animal. This is a nuance of informal incorrect language use by native speakers. Someone might say:
"He doesn't like animals, like bears and tigers."
While saying, "He doesn't like animals, such as bears and tigers." would be more accurate.
It's hard to explain, I hope I made it easier to understand.
To convey what you want to say, I would change the order of words:
"Like John, he doesn't like animals".
This is 100% correct, but sounds slightly stilted when used in a casual conversation. You might be better off saying, "John and him both don't like animals."
Mike,
Oh---! My sentence suggests that John is an animal!?!? Oops!
Thank you for your explanation. I understand well.
Also, thank you for the useful example sentences!
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