- 'Like' = 'similar to' 'What a beautiful house! It's like a palace.' (Not as a palace) ''What does she do?' 'She's a teacher, like me.' (Not as me) In these sentenes, 'like' is a preposition. So it is followed by a noun. - 'Like' = for example 'Some sports, like motor-racing, can be dangerous.' You can also use 'such as' - 'As' = in the same way as, or in the same condition as: We use 'as' before 'subject + verb': 'I didn't move anything. I left everything as it was.' 'Like' is also possible in informal spoken English: 'I left everything like it was.' - Sometimes 'as' (+ subject + verb) has other meanings: 'You can do as you like.' (= You can do what you like) 'They did as they promised.' (= They did what they promised) - We also say 'as you know', 'as I said', 'as she expected', 'as I thought' etc. : 'As you know, it's Emma's birthday next week.' (= you know this already) 'He failed his driving test, as he expected.' (= he expected this before) 'Like' is not usual in these expressions, except with 'say' (like I said). 'As I said yesterday, ...' (=Like I said yesterday, ...) - 'As' can also be a preposition, but the meaning is different from 'like': 'She's the manager of a company.' 'As the manager, she has to make many important decisions.' (= in her position as the manager) 'Mary is the assistant manager.' 'Like the manager, she also has to make important decisions.' (= similar to the manager)

In this case you are comparing 'AS' as a conjunction/preposition with 'LIKE' as a preposition only. Both OK in the sentence you set. But you should know it's actually 'he... family like a running bird' & 'he... family as a running bird (DID)' ie the former is a complete sentence while the latter is not - what after 'as' is actually a sentence. We say 'he is like a running bird', means 'he looks like a running bird', but 'he is as a running bird' could mean 'running bird' is his job or title or role he is playing or something (作为), could also mean 'he looks like a running bird' (像), in which 'as' is used as a preposition too. That is also to say when 'as' and 'like' mean 像 in the sentence, 'as' can be followed by a complete sentence because it can be a conjunction while NOT 'like', like can only be a preposition in this discussion. However, in informal speech, especially American English, as and like have already been almost the same. 'You like dogs just like I do'. Here like is used as a conjunction. @Romulus, 'like' here is used as a preposition.

hi, you can use the adverb "as" this way: "He ran away from his family as quick as the running birds." [here, it may answer the question "how (fast/quick) did he run away?"] ...and the adjective "like": "He ran away from his family like a running bird." (here, it may answer the question, "how does he look like when he ran way?") :)

Well that's a hard one. It'd be better if you please get clarified from the "ADVANCED LEARNER OXFORD DICTIONARY'. None can better explain than this dictionary :P 'As' is more likely to be said when giving a vivid and especially a specific example. Impressed and affected from what you lived that is worth telling and you're telling. But 'like' is used when you talk about anything in particular about something you know or you don't, something you're not sure of the accuracy and currency. Hope I'm right :)