Which one is incorrect?

[Anh Thu]

Dear Teacher,
Which one of the following is incorrect: A, B, or C? :roll:
What do you look?
A B C

My friends’s answer: C
My answer: A
My arguments:
(1) Even if you replace “look” by “look at”, "look for” the sentence as a whole is still incorrect with the use of the simple present tense, which should be the present continuous instead.
(2) If you replace “What” by “How” then the sentence is grammatically correct, even though the meaning is a bit odd. The situation, as far as I can imagine, is a question by a doctor from the other end of the telephone line. The answers which the doctor would like to hear might be something like “ I look better today. Thank you, Doctor”, or “ I don’t look pale I as did the other day, when you saw me, Doctor.”


I’d appreciate any of your comments.
Best regards,
Anh Thư

 

[MikeNewYork]

Where are A, B, and C?

 

[Anh Thu]

Where are A, B, and C?

Thank you for your very quick response.
Sorry, I couldn't add spaces in between the underlined A, B, & C that made you confused.
Please find my clarifications as under, instead.
A = What
B = do you
C = look?
Thank you & best regards,
Anh Thu

 

[Ali Hsn]

Where are A, B, and C?

Hello!

It seems A, B and C respectively refer to the three underlined parts: "What" - "do you" - "look?"

 

[tzfujimino]

Hello, [STRIKE]Ali Hsn[/STRIKE] Anh Thu.:-D

I'm not a native speaker of English, but I teach English to Japanese students.
Please allow me to say a few words here.

I understand your argument, and I think what you're saying is right.
However, I'd choose C. ("How do you look?" is grammatically correct, but it's an odd sentence, as you say.)
If we change 'look' for 'see', it's grammatical and natural. "What do you see?" is much better than "How do you look?", in my opinion.
Or if you need to use 'look', "What do you look like?" is fine, too.

What do you think?

(Edit) I'm sorry, Ali Hsn. I have absolutely no idea what happened.

 

[Ali Hsn]

Hello, Ali Hsn.:-D

I'm not a native speaker of English, but I teach English to Japanese students.
Please allow me to say a few words here.

I understand your argument, and I think what you're saying is right.
However, I'd choose C. ("How do you look?" is grammatically correct, but it's an odd sentence, as you say.)
If we change 'look' for 'see', it's grammatical and natural. "What do you see?" is much better than "How do you look?", in my opinion.
Or if you need to use 'look', "What do you look like?" is fine, too.

What do you think?

Hello, tzfujimino!
Your statements and explanations about the topic are very welcomed and appreciated. However, I'd like to point out that the question was asked by "Anh Thu", not me. : ) But I admit that our user names have some similarities : ))

Yes, I agree with you on using "How" instead of "What" and then it will be grammatically correct (and even meaningful).
I don't know if, in the question "Anh Thu" proposed, we are allowed to add any word, proposition, etc or not. For instance, if we are just allowed to replace a word with another, "A" seems to be the best answer.

Thanks and regards!

 

[Raymott]

A = What
B = do you
C = look?

The question is still unclear. I like them all. How can you say whether "What", "do you", or "look" is the correct answer without knowing the question?

 

[englishhobby]

I am a Non-NEST (Non-native English-speaking Teacher)

Dear Teacher,
My friends’s answer: C
My answer: A
My arguments:
(1) Even if you replace “look” by “look at”, "look for” the sentence as a whole is still incorrect with the use of the simple present tense, which should be the present continuous instead.

Why don't you consider substituting 'look' with a different verb?

If we change 'look' for 'see', it's grammatical and natural. "What do you see?" is much better than "How do you look?", in my opinion.

I agree. The friend is right (though the whole puzzle seems to me very odd). C is the answer. You should replace 'look' with 'see' or 'do'. ;-)

What do you see?
What do you do?

 

[englishhobby]

I am a Non-NEST (Non-native English-speaking Teacher)

The question is still unclear. I like them all. How can you say whether "What", "do you", or "look" is the correct answer without knowing the question?

As far as I understand, the question is 'What part of the phrase "What do you look?", A, B, or C, can be changed so that the question would sound natural? (If A= What, B= do you, C = look.)

I think it's the verb 'look' that should be removed and substituted with 'see' or 'do'. If you change it, the sentence will sound OK.

 

[Raymott]

As far as I understand, the question is 'What part of the phrase "What do you look?", A, B, or C, can be changed so that the question would sound natural? (If A= What, B= do you, C = look.)

If that were the question, then any answer is correct (or incorrect).
A - Change 'What' to 'How', 'Where', 'Why', or 'When'.
B - Change 'do you' to 'funny', 'strange', or some other adjective.
C - Change 'look' to 'mean', 'do', 'want' or some other verb.

 

[Anh Thu]

Dear MikeNewYork, Ali Hsn, Tzfujimino, Raymott, & Englishhobby,


Thank you very much for your very quick replies to my queries. I read your comments very carefully and highly appreciated all of them.
This is not yet a final say, but as of this moment Englishhobby’s reply, in my opinion, is the most comprehensive one. Firstly, I totally agree that the whole puzzle seems very odd. Secondly, after going through all your comments & suggestions, I also agree with Englishhobby that C is the answer. “Look” should be replaced with “see” or “do”. Then the sentence would read more naturally and sound more native like.
- What do you see?
- What do you do?
Again, thank you very much, everyone, for your participation in the discussion of this topic. Please be assured that all your comments & suggestions are very much appreciated.


Best regards,
Anh Thư


P. S. I’m a ‘newbie’, and this is my very first post in this Forum. I hope you wouldn’t mind if I made a few grammar & spelling mistakes (quite a few - I suppose) in this post, since I’m only a beginner. Thank you.

 

[Raymott]

Dear MikeNewYork, Ali Hsn, Tzfujimino, Raymott, & Englishhobby,
Thank you very much for your very quick replies to my queries. I read your comments very carefully and highly appreciated all of them.

But wait, Anh Thu. You must have noticed that no one knows what the question was yet. Can you not tell us?

 

[Anh Thu]

But wait, Anh Thu. You must have noticed that no one knows what the question was yet. Can you not tell us?

The question was "Which (part of the sentence) is incorrect - A, B, or C?"
If Englishhobby had not known what the question was how could he have given me such a perfect reply? :lol:

 

[englishhobby]

The question was "Which (part of the sentence) is incorrect - A, B, or C?"
If Englishhobby had not known what the question was how could he have given me such a perfect reply? :lol:

Thank you. I guessed, because non-native teachers often invent such puzzles and forget to give proper instructions, so I am used to it and learned to guess them.
But, in my opinion, Raymott gave a "more perfect" answer (though it seems easy, a non-native speaker (like me) would never give that many options):

If that were the question, then any answer is correct (or incorrect).
A - Change 'What' to 'How', 'Where', 'Why', or 'When'.
B - Change 'do you' to 'funny', 'strange', or some other adjective.
C - Change 'look' to 'mean', 'do', 'want' or some other verb.

So the puzzle has many answers, which is good, but the instructions should be written properly, then it will be an interesting task, IMO.

 

[emsr2d2]

Ahn Thu, please write future posts in a more readable font. The one you originally used is very curly and is particularly difficult to read on a small screen (ie a mobile phone). I have edited all your posts and changed them to Arial, size 3.

 

[Anh Thu]

Ahn Thu, please write future posts in a more readable font. The one you originally used is very curly and is particularly difficult to read on a small screen (ie a mobile phone). I have edited all your posts and changed them to Arial, size 3.

Tks for taking time editing my posts by changing the font. :up:
I'll follow your advice next time.
Regards,
Anh Thu

 

[Anh Thu]

..., in my opinion, Raymott gave a "more perfect" answer (though it seems easy, a non-native speaker (like me) would never give that many options):

Raymott's suggestions work well with A & C:

- What do you mean?
- Where do you work?

With B, the original sentence would become a fragment (grammatically incomplete), as in:

- How funny ...!*
- How strange ...!*
(Subject & Verb are missing, since "do you" have been changed to "funny", "strange").

Thank you very much, Englishhobby & Raymott, for sharing your time and valuable remarks. Please feel free to correct me again, if my understanding is not correct.

Best regards,
Anh Thu

 

[Raymott]

Thank you very much, Englishhobby & Raymott, for sharing your time and valuable remarks. Please feel free to correct me again, if my understanding is not correct.

If you really want to express your appreciation, you could answer my question, and tell us what the original question was.
This whole thread has been based on guesses by various contributors about what the question might be.

 

[Anh Thu]

If you really want to express your appreciation, you could answer my question, and tell us what the original question was.
This whole thread has been based on guesses by various contributors about what the question might be.

Sorry to have confused some of you with my original question. Let me repeat it one more time as follows:

Which part of the following sentence is grammatically incorrect - A, B, or C?

What do you look?
A B C

(where A = What; B= do you; & C=look).

Thank you.


--------------------------
To emsre2d2 (the Editor): I have a little problem with the presentation of my posts, including this one. I wanted to put A directly below the underlined "What", B underneath "do you", and in like manner, C under "look". I did the typing carefully, hitting the space bar 2-3 times to make sure there must be appropriate space between A, B, & C. I also previewed my posts carefully before submitting them, but unfortunately A, B, & C always clung together against my will. Please kindly help. (feeling flushed with shame & shyness).

 

[Raymott]

Which part of the following sentence is grammatically incorrect - A, B, or C?

What do you look?
A B C

(where A = What; B= do you; & C=look).

Ah. Well that's a silly question. Grammar doesn't come from individual words or phrases. It's about the way they are arranged. The sentence itself is grammatically incorrect, but each of the elements is fine. The question's invalid. If you assume that any two of the three parts are correct, then you can change the third to make a grammatically-correct sentence. I only asked for the whole question to see if there was something that validated it. But apparently not. Thanks, I'm happy now. :-D