his post might be like others you have seen on the internet.  And, they are probably alike in many ways.  But, what makes THIS post different, is that it was written by me!  😎

his means that — un-like many others — it will actually be entertaining to read.  And if you have ever been my student.  Then you know that I am a bit like “The Mad Hatter”.  In fact — He and I are very-uch alike in many ways.

This Is Also A Grammar Party…  (just keep reading)  😉

ut another feature of this post that will show that I’m NOT like others who teach English, is that I am going to tell you WHY things are the way that they are.  Because I think — VERY MUCH — about the things that I teach, BEFORE I teach them to you.  Something that makes myself and Traditional English teachers very-much NOT alike.

irst of all — the word “Like” can be used to express a good feeling, or opinion of preference or acceptability about something:  “I like this”, “she likes him”, “we like that”, etc..  That is NOT the usage of the word “Like” that I am referring to in this article.

he usage that I am referring to in this article is that of:  stating that some “thing” is similar to an other “thing.  “This is like that”, “they are like the others”, “no one else is like him”.  Notice that, in this usage, we also need to use the Auxiliary Verb:  (To) “Be”.  But we can also verbs like:  “look(s)”, “seem(s)”, “feel(s)”, “sound(s)”, etc. (the verbs which refer to sensory organs.)

f we were to eliminate the Auxiliary Verb — then it would indicate the OTHER usage of the word “Like”.  “I like her”,  “She likes me”,  “We like each other”.

he word “Alike” is ALSO used to say that two (or more) things are similar.  In fact — it has the exact same meaning as the word “Like”.  The only differences between these two words are — first of all — the form of the word itself.  And secondly — the structure of the sentence in-which it is used.  But the end result (when grammatically correct) is exactly the same.

o fully Know & Comprehend this better than all of your previous English teachers — it is necessary to examine the FORM of the word “Alike”.  By doing this, you will also come to clearly Know & Comprehend many other words in a way that you have probably not even thought of before.

I Know, Right?

f you look-up the prefix “A-“ in any dictionary — you will see  that there are MANY different so-called “definitions”.  And almost all of them say that it:  “means”, “indicates”, or “implies” a whole list of different prepositions:  at, away, in, on, out, etc..  (But this makes no sense for the word “Alike”.)

urther-more — they also say that these definitions are “no-longer productive”, or that they are “archaic”.  Well that doesn’t help at all!  Especially when we are still using the words that they give as examples!

oes this mean that these words have no definition?  No.  It means that the writers & editors of the dictionaries do not comprehend the grammar of the language that they are supposed to be “defining”.  And that they clearly do not know the difference between:  “Function”, “Meaning”, & “Usage”.

fter studying all that “The Dictionary” had to say about the prefix “A-“ (which ultimately contradicted itself on every single point) — I meditated on the function in words like:  “Around”, “About”, “Arise”, “Await”…  “Alike”.  They all come from a very-much older form of English, where-in the sentence structure was also different than it is today.  However — we continue to use these words in their much older form.

o what do all of these words that use the prefix “A-“ have in common?  How are they all “Alike”?  In all words that use the prefix “A-“ — the prefix functions as the Auxiliary Verbs:
.

1. 1.  (to) Be:  “Alike”  =  “to be like”
      .
   2.  (to) Do:  “Await”  =  “to wait”
      (The Auxiliary Verb “Do” is implied as it is simply transformed into the particle “To” — to ‘do’ that-which the verb states.)
      .
   3.  (to) Have (the quality of):  “Akin”  =  “to be like Kin;  like family;  like those of my kind”

ut just like with the word “Like” — the word “Alike” must also use an Auxiliary Verb or one of the “sensory” verbs, for it to be “Grammatically Correct” in modern English.  But by doing-so — it makes the “Grammatically Correct” usage of “Alike”…  NOT Grammatically Correct!!!

ince — in the present form of The English Language — we use the Auxiliary Verb:  (to) “Be”  with the word:  “Alike” (or any word with the prefix “A-“)…  And since the prefix:  “A-“  actually functions AS the verb:  (to) “Be”…  Then the use of the word:  “Alike” — in what would be considered “Grammatically Correct” English — is ACTUALLY redundant.  It is not “Grammatically Pure”;  It is literally adding an extra verb to the clause, phrase, or sentence.

o if a sentence in English was considered to be like an alchemical formula (which it certainly can & should be) — then the use of:  “Alike” would be something like this…

inda Silly Huh?  And this is a perfect example of what I mean when I say that it is not “Grammatically Pure”.  By adding un-necessary elements to it’s composition — even though the meaning can be interpreted — it is not correct.

o use a “Musical” analogy — it is very similar to when a guitarist or pianist is playing a song, and their finger accidentally hits a neighboring string or a key that they did not intend to.  We still know what song it is, and it still may even sound good…  (In fact, to some, it still may sound perfect)…  But to those with an attentive ear, we can hear that the extra note should not be there, and it disrupts the perfect flow.

Ok…  So Now, What?

o now that you have been enlightened about the things that most teachers wouldn’t tell you (because most of them don’t even know it themselves)…  Well, now you can learn how “Like” & “Alike” are used.  And you will have that “attentive ear” that I mentioned in the “Musical Analogy” above.  😎

That Ostrich Looks Like Donald Trump!

Despite The Slight Difference In “Fashion-Sense” & Hair-Style…

For The Most-Part — All Douche-Bags Are Alike.