(3) Could you correct or confirm these questions?

[learning54]

Hi teachers,
If this is what the students will hear:
Alex looked at her. It was true. He was hungry and tired and dirty. And afraid … but not
of this old woman, ‘Thank you very much,’ he said.
The old woman’s name was Marta. Her house was very small, but she
put some wonderful hot food in front of Alex. He ate quickly, Marta
watched him.
Are these suitable questions to ask?
1. Was Alex full, fresh, and clean? No he wasn’t. He was hungry, tired, and dirty.
2. Was Alex scared of that old woman? No he wasn’t.
3. What did Marta’s house look like? It was very small.
4. What did she place in front of him? She placed some wonderful hot food.
5. What did each person do after that? Alex ate quickly and Marta watched him.

Thanks in advance.

[emsr2d2]

Hi teachers,
If this is what the students will hear:
Alex looked at her. It was true. He was hungry and tired and dirty. And afraid … but not
of this old woman, ‘Thank you very much,’ he said.
The old woman’s name was Marta. Her house was very small, but she
put some wonderful hot food in front of Alex. He ate quickly, Marta
watched him.
Are these suitable questions to ask?
1. Was Alex full, fresh, and clean? No he wasn’t. He was hungry, tired, and dirty. Yes.
2. Was Alex scared of that old woman? No he wasn’t. Yes.
3. What did Marta’s house look like? It was very small. "What was Marta's house like?" is better.
4. What did she place in front of him? She placed some wonderful hot food. You could make it just a little harder by saying "What did she place before him?"
5. What did each person do after that? Alex ate quickly and Marta watched him. "What did they do then?" would be OK.

Thanks in advance.

See the red bits above!

[learning54]

Hi,
Thank you once again for your help and corrections.

3. What did Marta’s house look like? It was very small. "What was Marta's house like?" is better.

I though that:
a) 'What+do/does/did+subject+look+like?' is used when we want to ask for physical description.
b) 'What+be+subject+like' is used when we want to ask for the personality of somebody, for the character of a person.

Am I wrong?

L.

[emsr2d2]

That's a bit too limiting. It works perfectly when when describing people, but it's not so black-and-white with other things.

Marta's house doesn't just look small, it clearly is small.

What does Marta's house look like?
It looks well cared-for.
It looks like it could do with a lick of fresh paint.
It looks like a happy family home.

What is Marta's house like?
It is small.
It is square.
It is painted blue.

The first three answers are impressions of the house. It looks (appears to be) well cared-for but there's no physical proof (from the outside), it's only the speaker's opinion.
The second set of three answers are factual. The house doesn't just look (appear to be) small, square and blue, it actually is small, square and blue. They're not opinions. They're facts.

[learning54]

Hi,
Thank you for that explanation. I've never seen it before, though it is very, very logical!


L.