Tell me about it!
- tsoc2delegado
- Oct 1, 2016
- 2 min read
One question structure that often causes problems for people learning English is:
WHAT + to BE + something + LIKE.
It is used when you want a description of something or someone. For example:
Q) What is your house like?
A) It's small, but it has a big living room. There are two bedrooms and two bathrooms.
Q) What was it like living in London as a child?
A) It was good fun but also dangerous at times. I went to an enormous school but couldn't go out on my own to play.
Q) What is your teacher like?
A) She is very friendly and explains things clearly. She's quite tall.
Sometimes, learners confuse this structure with another one: HOW + To BE + something. This is sometimes because of a similar structure in another language that the learner can speak. Questions with HOW + To BE + something are different from those with WHAT + to BE + something + LIKE. although they can sometimes have very similar meanings.
HOW + To BE + something is used when asking about the state (physical, mental, emotional etc.) of something or someone. Looking at the examples again:
How is your house? This is an unusual question because houses don't have mental or emotional states. It's not an impossible question because the context might make it a good question to ask:
Q) How is your house? There was a lot of rain last night.
A) The house is OK. The rain affected some houses but mine has a new roof.
How was it living in London as a child? This is also an unusual question, but, in a similar way, the context might make it possible. Even so, What was it like... ? would still be a good question in this context.
Q) How was it living in London as a child? You now have a good life with an interesting job and a house in the countryside.
A) It was very difficult. We had very little money then.
How is your teacher? This question is very different from the first example and each question will have a different answer.
Q) How is your teacher?
A) She's fine. She has recovered from the accident and is feeling much better.
So let's look at more examples like this last one.
Q) What's your dog like?
A) He's a small black spaniel. He's got very long ears and a tail that never stops wagging.
Q) How's your dog?
A) He's not very well. I think he ate something in the park and it has affected his stomach.
Q) What was your grandmother like?
A) She was such a hard-working person but she always had a smile on her face.
Q) How was your grandmother when you last saw her?
A) She was very ill and suffered from a lot of pain.
