What’s The Correct Use For “Such As” In A Sentence?

The phrase “such as” is widely used in the English language, and it is almost impossible to go a day without using or coming across it. But, using a word or a phrase frequently does not mean you know how to use it correctly. There is a lot you need to learn and this article will cover everything.

The phrase “such as” is used as an introduction to an example or series of examples of something mentioned earlier. An example depicting the use of “such as” is: You must have a form of identification, such as a national ID card or driver’s license on you when going out.

You should encounter no problem while learning how to use the phrase correctly. We will make it very simple and easy to understand, so you will not encounter any complexity. Hop in and let’s discover everything about the phrase.

What Does The Phrase “Such As” Mean?

You must not use a word or phrase without having a deep understanding of it and if you have, you should try to find out all you can about the word. You are assured of communicating effectively when you understand a word beyond the surface.

For us to achieve easy and effective communication, we will look at some essential parts of the phrase “such as,” the meaning and the origin. You should be able to use the phrase effortlessly when communicating after reading this article.

The meaning of a word refers to the idea the word conveys when used in a sentence, what the reader infers when they see the word in a sentence. The origin of a word on the other hand refers to where the word was derived from, usually a root word, which is mostly from other languages.

So, What Does The Phrase “Such As” Mean?

The phrase “such as” has a wide range of meanings. Some people refer to it as an idiomatic expression that means something or of a kind mentioned earlier.

It is also used to introduce other examples of the type of thing you just mentioned. An example would be,

• The art museum in Dallas has a lot of exquisite paintings from artists, such as Leonardo Da Vinci and Pablo Picasso.

There is another meaning to the phrase “such as,” although it is now archaic and outdated, it is good to know it. It means “those who,” an example is,

• Such as promises to engage in lawful activities not only break their promise, but they are also dangerous if they do not fulfill their promise.

From the example above explaining the last meaning of the phrase “such as,” a person that is familiar with the modern English language will find it very difficult to comprehend. If you replace the “such as” at the beginning of the sentence with “those who,” the sentence makes a lot of sense.

Next, we will dive into the etymology of the phrase “such as.”

We will look at the separate origins of the words “such” and “as,” this is because “such as” is a phrase, not a word.

The “such” is from the Middle English word “such” (also swich, swulch, swilch, and swuch), this is from an Old English word “swelċ,” gotten from the Proto-Germanic “swalīkaz.”

And the word “as” is from the Middle English word “as” (variations of the word are als(a) and alswa). This is in turn from an Old English “eallswā” a reduced form of “also.”

This is the origin of the root words of the phrase “such as.”

Synonyms and Antonyms of the Phrase “Such As”

Our next focus is on the synonyms and antonyms of the phrase “such as.” First, we will examine some synonyms of the phrase.

• For Example
• Like
• In Particular
• For Instance
• Namely
• Similar To
• Suchlike
• Including
• Akin To
• Identical To
• Resembling
• Just Like
• Exempli Gratia (e.g.)
• As An Example Of
• As In

To make it more understandable, below are some examples to show how you can use the synonyms of “such as” as an alternative in sentences.

Examples with “Such As”

1. Children born in the 2010s missed the best Nickelodeon cartoon characters, such as SpongeBob SquarePants and Avatar Aang.
2. There are different consequences and motives for criminal activities, such as tax evasion, theft, and robbery.

Examples with the synonyms of “Such As”

1. Children born in the 2010s missed the best Nickelodeon cartoon characters, like SpongeBob SquarePants and Avatar Aang.
2. There are different consequences and motives for criminal activities, for instance, tax evasion, theft, and robbery.

On the other hand, the antonyms of the phrase “such as” are,

• Aside From
• Besides
• Except
• Apart From
• Excluding
• Leaving Out
• Exclusive Of
• Omitting
• Other Than
• Outside Of
• With The Exception Of
• Unlike
• All But
• Exempting
• But

Examples with the antonyms of “Such As”

1. Jones expected to meet his room arranged but to his surprise, it had been emptied, except for his study table.
2. One of the agreements David had to sign before commencing his duties in the organization was to make no deals with anyone asides from the company deals.
3. Harry claimed he read all but the concluding part of the message so he could not decipher the message.
4. Kane was ashamed of telling Olivia, his girlfriend that apart from changing a car tire, he had no clue of car maintenance.

These examples should show you how you can use the antonyms of the phrase “such as” in a sentence.

How To Properly Use “Such As” In A Sentence

In this session, we will look at a few tips and additional knowledge that will assist you in using the phrase “such as” in a sentence.

You use the phrase “such as” when you want to provide specific examples of something you are talking about. This means when you are talking or referring to something and you need to provide examples to explain better, you use “such as.”

Another thing you need to know when using the phrase “such as” is the accurate use of punctuation marks before and after the phrase.

You must not use a comma before the phrase “such as” if it is part of a restrictive clause. By restrictive clause, we mean if you take out the phrase the sentence does not make sense. If there is a nonrestrictive phrase, in the sentence, you must use a comma.

An example is you will find a lot of coniferous trees, such as spruce and pine in this forest. The phrase “such as spruce and pine” is nonrestrictive because if you take it out of the sentence, it still makes sense. You will find a lot of coniferous trees in this forest.

You also need to understand that if you are using examples that are not essential in making your sentence accurate and clear, you must add a comma before “such as” and also after the examples, except the example us at the end of the sentence. if the examples make your sentence clear and accurate, you can omit the commas.

We will look at situations you cannot use the phrase “such as.”

• You cannot use the phrase to compare things.
• You cannot use the word “as” on its own to introduce examples.

You should know that the phrases “such as” and “as such” are very different and cannot be used interchangeably because they do not have any similarity in meaning despite looking very similar. “As such” is used to give a reason for something but “such as” is used when giving examples to make a sentence clearer.

Illustrative Examples on how to use the phrase “Such As”

Here are some examples to simplify the explanations we have provided on how you can use the phrase “such as” correctly in a sentence.

1. It is vital to remove the stalks of leafy vegetables, such as silverbeet and spinach before using them in your meal.
2. Most western countries are ready to get rid of tariffs on different items such as electronics, foodstuffs, and solar panels.
3. External factors, such as smoking while being pregnant is a major external factor that results in miscarriages.
4. People with poor eyesight need to wear corrective lenses, such as contact lenses or eyeglasses.
5. Since he received parole, he partnered with teenagers in trouble, trying to help them avoid getting into a life of crime such as he had.
6. Explaining and defining abstract ideas such as friendship and love to children can be difficult and frustrating.
7. The drugs prescribed for him were very effective in treating his sickness, but there were some adverse effects, such as dizziness and allergy reactions.
8. The natural resources will continually deplete as long as activities such as mining and logging are still carried out.
9. Different people believe their success is to be attributed to external causes such as luck and favor.
10. The senator from the eastern part of the state constructed a hospital to treat emergencies such as accidents and fire burns.

With these examples, you should not find it difficult to use the phrase “such as” in your sentences.

Final Thoughts

You do not have to stress yourself out trying to figure out how to use the phrase “such as” correctly in a sentence.

All you need to do is read up and get the knowledge.