"what is something like?"

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Pierce111

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When I ask about something that is not material should I use "like" at the end of the sentence? For example in question:
"What were the conditions (of the contract or in the hotel) like?"
 

bhaisahab

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When I ask about something that is not material should I use "like" at the end of the sentence? For example in question:
"What were the conditions (of the contract or in the hotel) like?"

Yes, that would be natural.
 

Raymott

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When I ask about something that is not material should I use "like" at the end of the sentence? For example in question:
"What were the conditions (of the contract or in the hotel) like?"
You can ask what anything (material or not) is like.
But "What were the conditions of the contract?" does not mean "What were the conditions of the contract like?"
 

Pierce111

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And what is the difference between those two questions (in meaning)?

And here is the same problem. Should I ask "What is the difference between those two questions like?"
 

Raymott

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And what is the difference between those two questions (in meaning)?

And here is the same problem. Should I ask "What is the difference between those two questions like?"
No you shouldn't ask "What is the difference between those two questions like?", though if you did, I'd say that the difference was like the difference between any other two sentences that use slightly different words and have completely different meanings.

1. "What were the conditions of the contract like?"
They're really quite reasonable. No surprises; it's a fairly standard contract."

2. "What were the conditions of the contract?"
1.i That the vendor and buyer agree to a price before the 25th October, 2013.
1.ii. That the buyer pay a 10% depost on or by the agreement date.
1.iii That the buyer pay the remaining costs by Settlement date, which shall be 60 days from the Agreement date.

2.1 That the vendor disclose any recent repairs or renovations to the residence.
[...] <About 20 pages of conditions ellipsed>

23.1
Signature of Vendor and Buyer, with date, below.
 

Barb_D

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If you ask "What are the Xs?" you want them listed.

If you ask "What are the Xs like?" you want a qualified assessment of them. Good/bad/standard/difficult/easy/nice/not nice
 

Pierce111

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Taking under consideration those answers, I am not sure what my sentence would mean in case we would talk about hotel's conditions. Can I ask:
"What are conditions in that hotel?" (living conditions, service, cleanness, meals) ?
or only option with "like" is possible in this case?
 

emsr2d2

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Taking under consideration those answers, I am not sure what my sentence would mean in case we would talk about hotel's conditions. Can I ask:
"What are conditions in that hotel?" (living conditions, service, cleanness, meals) ?
or only option with "like" is possible in this case?

If you are asking about the cleanliness etc, then you would say "What are the conditions like in the hotel?" Note, however, that it would be a rather unnatural sentence. We would probably say "What is the hotel like?" or "What is it like inside the hotel?"
 

Pierce111

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One more thing about this issue.
If I wanted to answer on second question 2. "What were the conditions of the contract?" with full sentence, would It be correct to start like this:
a) The conditions of the contract are: ....... (listed conditions)
b) There are following conditions: ......... (listed conditions)
?
What is natural in such situation?
 
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