Using the example "to obtain similar to or similarly to," the latter sounds very strange even though similarly is definitely being used as an adverb. The sentence: "The fragments were obtained simi...
similar to or similarly to - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange
Similar and identical have different meaning to be precise. But if you have noticed people using it, that could be because many times people start using the first word that comes to their mind and they don't evaluate that word to be precisely what they are trying to say. Alternatively - it is also true that you can use similar for identical anyway because anythings which are identical are ...
The difference is a bit subtle. "The microbial activity level was similar in A and B" means the same behavior was observed in two distinct cases, perhaps without A and B being aware of each other. "There was no difference in microbial activity between A and B" suggests a comparison of the two cases in a sort of competitive manner. Disclaimer: This is a personal interpretation and I won't claim ...
Is "similar in A and B" means equal to "similar between A and B"?
Two different Questions, japhwil. Broadly, "similar to" and "like" are interchangeable (and MS should leave your style choices to you). Quite separately, I think you'll have a hard time explaining the difference you suggest between " A is similar to B" indicating objects are quite distinct, and "A is like B" suggesting they are practically the ...
word choice - Identical Meaning of "similar to" and "like" - English ...