<p>Is this sentence wrong?</p>
<p>“I feel like I am a detective trying to solve the case.”</p>
<p>Should it be: “I feel as if I were…”</p>
<p>Thanks for the help</p>
<p>Personally, I try to avoid using “like” (and “get”) whenever possible. Perhaps a better way of phrasing your sentence would be “I feel as though I am a detective…” or “I feel similar to a detective…”.</p>
<p>Well, if you’re going for informal, which is probably advisable in a college essay, “like” is just fine. Contractions are also fine:</p>
<p>“I feel like I’m a detective trying to solve the case.”</p>
<p>I feel “like” sounds much more casual and conversational, not pretentious. The use of “like” is perfectly acceptable, after all, isn’t that the definition of a simile (aka what you are trying to create here)?</p>
<p>If you’re going to use like in that sentence, I would either use the contraction I’m following it or, preferably, leave it out altogether…I feel like a detective trying to solve the case.</p>
<p>On the other hand, if you’re going for something more formal, you would probably want to say, I feel as though I’m a detective. I would not use “I am” in either case. I think it sounds stilted in this situation.</p>