Herb,
    One reason for asking the question is that I was reading the OED entry
(for other reasons)and didn't see it listed as preposition. Yet it
shows up on preposition lists.

Craig>

Craig,
>
> My first reaction was that this use of "like" was adjectival, but since
> you want a traditional treatment I checked the OED Online and Merriam
> Webster Dictionary Online.  Both treat as an adjective, although MW
> doesn't have an example with BE.
>
> Herb
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Craig Hancock
> Sent: Wednesday, September 15, 2010 2:52 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: like
>
>     I am curious about how traditional grammar handles "like" in a
> sentence like "One of these things is not like the others." (I know;
> Sesame Street).
>    My instinct is to say "like the others" is prepositional phrase,
> complement to "is", therefore referring back (adjectivally?) to "One of
> these things." Would that be standard?
>    If it can be easily replaced by "resembles" (or "doesn't resemble"),
> does that mean "be like" is shading into a verb like status with "the
> others" as object? Are we OK with flexible boundaries around our
> categories?
>
> Craig
>
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