Comparative/similarity prepositions

Preposition	Example	Meaning / Function
like	He sings like a professional	similarity / comparison
as…as	She is as tall as her father	equality comparison
unlike	Unlike his brother, he is quiet	contrast / difference
rather than	I prefer coffee rather than tea	alternative / contrast
similar to	This solution is similar to the previous one	similarity / analogy
akin to	His approach is akin to a chess strategy	similarity / analogy
in the manner of	She dances in the manner of a ballerina	style / similarity
in the style of	A poem written in the style of Frost	style / similarity
as if / as though	He acts as if he owns the place	hypothetical comparison
comparative to	This model is comparative to the older one	formal similarity / contrast
in comparison with/to	Sales in comparison with last year have dropped	explicit comparison
in the same way as	He solved it in the same way as I did	manner / method comparison
no different from	This rule is no different from the old one	equality / similarity
in contrast to / with	In contrast to last year, profits have risen	contrast
identical to	This copy is identical to the original	exact similarity
analogous to	His position is analogous to a CEO	structural / functional analogy

CGEL Notes on Comparative Prepositions

• All of these are lexical prepositions.

• They take NP complements (or sometimes clauses in informal speech).

• They function as modifiers of a noun, verb, or clause.

• Some are multiword prepositions (e.g., in the manner of, in comparison with).

• Their semantic role is comparison, similarity, or contrast — not location, time, or reason.