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as and as if are always followed by a verb; like never is. Therefore you would say, “He plays tennis like an expert” (no verb after like) but “He plays tennis as if his life depended on it” (verb depended). Except in the most formal writing, however, only a stickler would object to formations such as “She looks just like her mother used to” and “He can’t dance like he used to.” There is also one apparent inconsistency in the rule in that like may be used when it comes between “feel” and an “-ing” verb: “He felt like walking” “I feel like going abroad this year.”

likelihood.

Lilienthal, Otto. (1849–1896) German inventor.

Lilliput (cap.) for the fictional place, but lilliputian (no cap.) for something small.

Lilly, Eli. Not -ey. U.S. pharmaceuticals company.

Lilongwe. Capital of Malawi.

lily, pl. lilies.

Limassol, Cyprus.

Limbourg, Limburg. The first is a province of Belgium; the second a province of the Netherlands. The cheese is Limburg or Limburger.

limited means constrained, set within bounds. Unless there is the idea of a limit being imposed, the word is better avoided. It is reasonable enough to say that a special offer is available for a limited time, but to write that “there was a limited demand for tickets” is absurd when what is meant is that fewer customers than had been hoped showed up.

linage, lineage. The first refers to lines of text; the second to ancestry.

linchpin, but lynch law, lynch gang.

Linnaean for the system of naming plants and animals by genus and species names (e.g., Homo sapiens). Some dictionaries also accept Linnean as an alternative spelling. The term comes from the Swedish botanist Carl Linné (1707–1778), who chose to Latinize his name as Carolus Linnaeus. For the rules of application concerning the Linnaean system, see GENUS, SPECIES.

lion’s share is a cliché. Why not say “most” or “the larger part” or whatever is appropriate?

Lipari Islands. Group of islands off Sicily, also known as the Aeolian Islands.

Lipchitz, Jacques. (1891–1973) French sculptor.

Lippmann, Walter. (1889–1974) American journalist.

liquefy, liquefaction.

liqueur.

lira. Currency of Turkey; pl. liras. It has not been the currency of Italy since 2002, but for historical purposes it may be worth noting that the Italian plural was lire.

lissome.

literally means actually, not figuratively. If you don’t wish to be taken literally, don’t use literally.

literati. Literary elite; learned people. But littérateur for a person of letters.

Livni, Tzipora. (1958–) Deputy prime minister of Israel (2006–).

Ljubicic, Ivan. (1979–) Croatian tennis player.

Ljubljana. Capital of Slovenia; pronounced loob-lee-yah'-na.

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. Village in Wales, on the island of Anglesey, famous for having the longest name in Britain.

Lloyd George, David. (1863–1945) (No hyphen.) British prime minister (1916–22); but Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor (hyphen) for his title as a peer.

Lloyd Webber, Andrew. (1948–) Now Lord Lloyd-Webber (hyphen), British composer of musicals; brother of Julian Lloyd Webber (1951–), cellist.

Lloyd’s of London (apos.) for the venerable insurance exchange, but Lloyds TSB (no apos.) for the British bank.

Llullaillaco. Mountain on border of Argentina and Chile.

loath, loathe. The first is an adjective meaning reluctant; the second, a verb meaning to despise.

loathsome.

LoBiondo, Frank. (1946–) U.S. representative from New Jersey.

local residents. Residents generally are local, so in most contexts the first word can be deleted.

loc. cit., the abbreviation of loco citato (Lat.), means “in the place cited.”

Locke, John. (1632–1704) English philosopher.

lodestar, lodestone. These are the preferred spellings, but loadstar and loadstone are also accepted.

Lódz, Poland; pronounced woodj.

logarithm.

Lomé. Capital of Togo.

Longchamp, not -champs, for the French racecourse.

Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. (1807–1882) American poet.

Longleat House, Wiltshire, England.

longueur. Note -ueu-. Boring interval or section of an entertaining work.

Look Homeward, Angel.