Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[GK]

Hello. I have a question about the difference (or similarity) between such as and including. Is it possible to use the two interchangeably? For example, is it possible to replace such as with including in the following sentences or vice versa?

1. The money is used to buy basic foods such as flour, rice, and pasta.

2. He enjoys team sports such as basketball, football, and volley ball.

3. In the Colonial Age, many people emigrated to British colonies, including Canada and Australia.

Please anybody help me. Thanks.

[educe22]

Personally, I would use "such as" as a substitute "for example" when listing possibilities.

I would use "including" when all the members of the group listed are actually "used."

In your examples

"The money is used to buy basic foods such as flour, rice, and pasta."
I think that "such as" is appropriate here since these are examples of basic foods. To say "including" would mean that everyone who used the money bought all of these items as part of their purchase.

"He enjoys team sports such as basketball, football, and volley ball."
If he actually played all three sports and enjoyed them, I would say "including". However, if he played more sports and you are highlighting the major three, then "such as" would be more appropriate.

In example three, I think either "including" or "such as" could be used.
_________________
Educe22

[GK]

Thanks a lot for your help. Have a great weekend!

[redset]

Just to add to this, we also use including to stress things that might not be expected. "He has many pets including a cat, a dog and an elephant." Bet you weren't expecting that! If you used such as it would sound more like you're simply giving examples, and that there's nothing special about them (it could even imply there are other exotic animals, instead of the elephant just being a really unusual pet).

[GK]

Thanks for your additional explanation. :D