"like" Vs "such as"

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"like" Vs "such as"

by f2001290 » Wed Jun 13, 2007 1:43 pm
The market for recycled commodities like aluminum and other metals remain strong despite economic changes in the recycling industry.

A. commodities like aluminum and other metals remain
B. commodities like those of aluminum and other metals are remaining
C. commodities such as aluminum and other metals remains
D. commodities, such as aluminum and other metals, remain
E. commodities, like the commodities of aluminum and other metals, remains

OA is E. But C sounds better to me. "Such as" should be used here. Any explanations ?

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by drhomler » Wed Jun 13, 2007 2:14 pm
Such as is used for specific examples and to introduce clauses and like is used for generalities and to compare nouns. In addition you need remains on the end of the underlined portion becuse it goes with the noun the market.

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by BTGmoderatorRO » Sun Sep 24, 2017 11:53 am
Option A. commodities like aluminum and other metals remain'
This answer looks correct but check 'remain' it is supposed to be in singular which is 'remains' because it is a verb of the subject 'The market'.

Option B.
B. commodities like those of aluminum and other metals are remaining
This option looks incorrect on its own because literally,the commodities they were referring to was of aluminium and other metals and not of 'those of aluminium'

Option D. commodities, such as aluminum and other metals, remain

This option is similar to option C but becareful of 'remain' it is in its plural form and it is supposed to be a verb of the subject 'The market'

Option E. commodities, like the commodities of aluminum and other metals, remains
This is definitely an incorrect statement and it is also guilty of tautology .

Option C. THIS IS THE CORRECT ANSWER!!!!!.
commodities such as aluminum and other metals remains
this option clearly shows and explain what other options could not point out and remember that 'such as' is chosen over because such as is used for specific examples and to introduce clauses also remains is chosen over 'remain' in option D because we strongly consider our subject 'The market' which is a singular noun.Therefore, option C is right.

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by ceilidh.erickson » Mon Sep 25, 2017 9:15 am
Please note:the GMAT appears to have changed its mind on the "like" v. "such as" rule!

See #685 in OG 2017:
Especially in the early years, new entrepreneurs may need to find resourceful ways, like renting temporary office space or using answering services, that make their company seem large and more firmly established than they may actually be.
(A) that make their company seem large
(B) to make their companies seem larger
(C) thus making their companies seem larger
(D) so that the companies seem larger
(E) of making their companies seem larger
Here, "like" is used to introduce a list in the non-underlined portion of the sentence; thus, it is implied that this usage is correct.

Language and grammar shift over time, and the GMAT (eventually) adapts to reflect this. The GMAT used to test the "like" v. "such as" issue with some regularity; you'll find examples in older versions of OGs and GMATPrep tests 1&2 (both over 10 yrs old at this point). Because "like" is very commonly used to introduce lists in colloquial spoken English, though, the GMAT seems to have adapted its policy on this rule. We can infer that it's unlikely that you'll see this issue on the real test in future (though you may still see it in practice questions).
Ceilidh Erickson
EdM in Mind, Brain, and Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education