Lesson 4 Inglés 2: Uses of "Like"

Uses of "Like"

Lesson 5

Like is one of the most commonly used words in English – and it can be a bit of a confusing one, as it has so many different meanings!

There are actually six different ways to use the word “like”

is of fundamental importance to many basic questions. The fact that these questions use "like" as a verb or a preposition can further complicate the issue.

personality

enjoy

as a simile

request

LIKE

quotative

appearance

01 Enjoy

Enjoy

Used to express the fact that you enjoy something

EXAMPLE

I like exercising

I like to exercise at three days at the week

Do you like it?

LIKE + INFINITIVE

LIKE + GERUND

(verb + -ing)

(to + base verb)

I like to exercise at three days at the week. Express habitual prefenrece. Something that we don't necessary enjoy but considers useful, right or wise.

I like exercising Something that we are actually doing

02 Request

Request

Used as an alternative to the verb, “to want”, in a form that is considered less aggressive and demanding, and more polite. Use it with the modal verb, “would” Always need to use the full phrase:

“would like”.

I would like to go see the elephants

EXAMPLE

Would you like something else? No, thanks, I'm fine for the moment.

She wouldn’t like to exchange any euros for pounds.

03 Appearance

Appearance

Look like

To describe the particular traits of something, the characteristics. to describe experiences

EXAMPLE

Ous current sofa looks like the previous one we had

Do you look like yout father or mother?

Tall, shor brown hair, white, brwon eyes, whit glasses.

Round, sticky, wavy, fluid

Do you The sample patch to the left should look like fuzzy gray bars. it?

04 Personality

Personality

Be like

Used to describe the personality, character or particular traits of something.

EXAMPLE

Everyone stops us every time we go out. It’s like being married to a movie star!

What’s the weather like in Barcelona today? It’s beautiful and warm.

What is he like? Happy, very upbeat and encouraging

05 As a simile

As a simile

...like...

A comparison with something else, in order to describe something.

EXAMPLE

Like a lamb to the slaughter. Like a ton of bricks. This dress is perfect because it fits like a glove.

Laugh like a hyena

06 As quotative

As quotative

like "..."

in some varieties of contemporary English, the marker like possesses a quotative use whereby it is used emblematically to introduce stretches of direct speech

I’m like, “What?” And they’re saying, “Yes, we know who you are."

EXAMPLE

I was like [speaker rolls eyes].

Thanks!