As or like

[coccinelle]

This is another question related to my ESL lessons.
I discovered today on a website that it isn't English to say: The French don't drink tea like the British do but should be .... as the British do, because here British is followed by a verb.
Can you give me your opinions, please?

[jno]

yes, technically that's so. Things are 'like' each other but you do something 'as' someone else does. But it's pretty common in everyday speech. If you're uncomfortable with it try saying the French don't drink tea as often/in the same quantities/with the same rituals (etc etc) as the British do.

[heathfield]

Even worse is ''...like what...'' !

[coccinelle]

jno: Thank you for your very good answer. We live and learn
heathfield; I've never noticed anybody say like what so will have to listen out for it!

[Ankou]

I would of replied like what heathfield did, but I didn't.

[New Judge]

You must try to watch some of the old "Morecombe & Wise" shows,

In most of them, Ernie Wise (the short fat hairy one of the two) has pretentions to be a classic playwright. He often refers to the plays "like what I write".

[Razzle09]

surely it should be ".as do the British"

[Schutzengel]

Ankou. Perhaps you could have replied in the same way as Heathfield.

[coccinelle]

No razzle it's definitely as the British do. Don't go confusing me any further...

[Ankou]

Schutz, it was just an example of our modern colloquial speech and written language as expounded by heathfield in the post above mine. Of course, I may well have responded as heathfield had, but the purpose of my post was germane to that comment. It would invariably have been pointless to repeat in similar fashio, since the point had already been made.