Question on the verb 'look' for physical description.

[learning54]

Hi teachers.
This question and answer is correct:
What did her house look like?
It was very small.
My question is, why we don't use 'look' in that answer?

Because in this one I can. Why is that?
What did she look like?
She looked (just) like her mother.

What part of speech is 'like' in the question? Is it a preposition?

Thanks in advance.

 

[SoothingDave]

What did her house look like?
It was very small.​

You could certainly answer "It looked very small."

 

[learning54]

You could certainly answer "It looked very small."

Hi,
I really didn't know that I can answer with the verb 'look' this kind of question. In fact I was told that:
a) To ask about someone's personality, we don't use 'like' in the answer.
b) To ask about someone's physical appearance, we don't use 'like' in the answer.
c) To ask about someone's hobbies, we can use 'like' in the answer.
It's wrong, isn't it?

So then these two questions are perfectly right:
a) Was her house very small? Yes, it was.
b) Did her house look very small? Yes, it did.

L54

 

[SoothingDave]

"Look" and "like" are two different words, you know?

I am not sure where your "rules" have come from. I don't know why the answer about someone's personality or appearance can't have the word "like" in it.

What's she look like?

She looks like a young Elizabeth Taylor.

 

[learning54]

"Look" and "like" are two different words, you know?

I think, 'look' is a verb and 'like' in this case a preposition.

I am not sure where your "rules" have come from. I don't know why the answer about someone's personality or appearance can't have the word "like" in it.

They have come from this website:
BBC World Service | Learning English | Grammar Challenge

 

[SoothingDave]

It is talking about the verb "like."

It's certainly possible to use "like" as I have to answer these types of questions.

 

[moonlike]

"Look" and "like" are two different words, you know?

I am not sure where your "rules" have come from. I don't know why the answer about someone's personality or appearance can't have the word "like" in it.

What's she look like?


She looks like a young Elizabeth Taylor.

Hi Sothing Dave
You mean the long form of the above mentioned question is "What does she look like?". Then in that case shouldn't we say "Who does she look like?"
Thanks a lot.
P.S. By the way I think I got what learning 54 means. I have also heard it that we don't repeat "like" in answers. Of course those questions that are related to someone's personality or description of a place like:
1. What is your city like? It's really polluted.
2. What is she like? She's so friendly.
Please correct me if I'm not right.
Once more thanks a lot.

 

[SoothingDave]

You mean the long form of the above mentioned question is "What does she look like?".​

Yes. But lose the period at the end. A question mark or an exclamation point can also end a sentence.

Then in that case shouldn't we say "Who does she look like?"

​

If I was asking who she looked like, yes. But it is possible for someone to ask what someone looks like and then be told that they look like some other person. The person asking "what's she look like?" is not necessarily expecting a "who" she looks like as an answer, but it is a valid answer.

The answer could be, "she's 5-6 about 100 pounds, long brown hair."

 

[bhaisahab]

Yes. But lose the period at the end. A question mark or an exclamation point can also end a sentence.

​

If I was asking who she looked like, yes. But it is possible for someone to ask what someone looks like and then be told that they look like some other person. The person asking "what's she look like?" is not necessarily expecting a "who" she looks like as an answer, but it is a valid answer.

The answer could be, "she's 5-6 about 100 pounds, long brown hair."

In BrE this is the sentence: You mean the long form of the above mentioned question is "What does she look like?". "What does she look like?" is in parenthesis and forms part of the sentence, the sentence is terminated with a full stop.

 

[SoothingDave]

In BrE this is the sentence: You mean the long form of the above mentioned question is "What does she look like?". "What does she look like?" is in parenthesis and forms part of the sentence, the sentence is terminated with a full stop.

But it's a question, isn't it? So it should end with a question mark. Would you end it with ...like?"?

 

[5jj]

In BrE this is the sentence: You mean the long form of the above mentioned question is "What does she look like?". "What does she look like?" is in parenthesis and forms part of the sentence, the sentence is terminated with a full stop.

I agree with the logic of that, but I was taught, many years ago, that the question mark inside the quotation marks ended the sentence.

 

[bhaisahab]

I agree with the logic of that, but I was taught, many years ago, that the question mark inside the quotation marks ended the sentence.

OK. we'll agree to differ then.

 

[emsr2d2]

I'm with 5jj. If there is a full stop, a question mark or an exclamation mark at the end of a quotation, and it also happens to mark the end of a sentence, then no further punctuation is necessary, unless the whole sentence is a question.

He said "What does she look like?"
Would it be correct for me to say "Wow. That's amazing!"?

 

[SoothingDave]

You mean the long form of the above mentioned question is "What does she look like?".

Isn't that entire sentence a question about a question? Should there be two question marks, one inside the quotes and one outside?

I say yes, it's a question about a question and no, only one question mark is needed, inside the quotes, which sufficiently ends the sentence.

 

[5jj]

Isn't that entire sentence a question about a question? Should there be two question marks, one inside the quotes and one outside?

I say yes, it's a question about a question and no, only one question mark is needed, inside the quotes, which sufficiently ends the sentence.

If the whole thing is a question, then I think that two question marks are appropriate - otherwise it can only be a statement.

Even if it the whole thing were clearly phrased as a question, I'd still use a question mark:

Do you mean the long form of the above mentioned question is "What does she look like?"?

All the systems I have seen are inconsistent. I have given below examples of the only nearly-consistent, but cluttered, system I can think of:

He said "I love you.".
He asked "Do you love me?".
Did he say "I love you."?
Did he ask "Do you love me?"?
"I love you." said John.
"Do you love me?" asked John.

Note that in the first four examples there is no puctuation mark before the first quotation marks, as there would not be in He said something.

This is the inconsistent system I was taught at school many years ago:

He said, "I love you."
He asked, "Do you love me?"
Did he say, "I love you"?
Did he ask, "Do you love me?"? (I am not sure if I have remembered that correctly)
"I love you," said John.
"Do you love me?" asked John.