<p>A question that occasionally haunts me on the SAT writing: </p>
<p>What are the differences among the three: opposite to, contrary to, unlike?</p>
<p>Anyone? :(</p>
<p>“Opposite to” refers to a physical position. “The chair is opposite to the sofa.”
“Contrary to” means claiming the opposite. “Contrary to what you believe, you cannot catch a cold from a rabbit.”
“Unlike” means different. “Unlike” is an adjective, while the other two are prepositional phrases. What I mean is, “unlike” is used differently from the other two prep phrases.</p>
<p>Hope that helps :)</p>