Likehas a number of meanings and uses.
Likeas a verb meaning ‘enjoy’
We useliketo talk about things or people which we enjoy or feel positive about:
like+ noun phrase
IlikeSarah but I don’tlikeher brother much.
Do youlikepasta?
She reallylikesthe singing of Luciano Pavarotti.
like+-ing
Ilikeswimming before breakfast.
Helikestelling jokes.
like+to-infinitive
Shelikesto go and see her parents at the weekend.
I don’tliketo cycle in the dark.
Helikeshis friends to call him Hank.
Do you think she wouldlikeus to bring some chocolates or flowers?
like+wh-clause
I don’tlikewhat he did.
Welikedhow they cooked the fish.
See also:
Hate,like,loveandprefer
Would likein offers and requests
We usewould likeor’d liketo offer something to someone in a polite way or to ask them to do something politely (requests), or politely to say what we want. We use theto-infinitive form of verbs that follow:
Would you likeanother coffee?
Would you liketo watch a DVD?
[At a fast food restaurant]
A:How can I help you?
B:I’d likea cheese burger and fries please.
[In an email to a company that has advertised a job]
…I’d liketo enquire about the Sales Manager position which you have advertised …
Would you liketo follow me, please?(Please follow me)
See also:
Would like
Offers
Requests
Likeas a preposition meaning ‘similar to’
Likemeans ‘similar to’. We often use it with verbs of the senses such aslook, sound, feel, taste, seem:
My sister islikemy mother.(My sister and my mother are similar)
I think this tasteslikecoconut.
That lookslikeMarco’s car.
He seemslikea nice man.
When we useliketo mean ‘similar to’, we can put words and phrase such asa bit, just, very, soandmorebefore it to talk about the degree of similarity:
It’sa bit likeskiing but there’s no snow.
Isn’t thatjust likethe bike we bought you for your birthday?
That smellsvery likegarlic.
The car wasmore likea green than a blue colour.
Likeas a conjunction
In informal contexts, we can uselikeas a conjunction instead ofas. Traditional grammar books consider this use oflikeincorrect:
Likeany good cook book will tell you, don’t let the milk boil.(orAs any good cook book…)
See also:
Asorlike?
As ifandas though
Conjunctions
Likeas a suffix
We can uselikeas a suffix at the end of a noun to mean ‘similar to’:
There is somethingchild-likeabout Marianne. She always seems so innocent.
Likein spoken English
In informal speaking, you will hearlikeused very commonly. It has a number of functions. It is important not to use these forms in formal writing such as academic essays.
Filler
We can useliketo fill in the silence when we need time to think about what to say next or how to rephrase what we have just said:
I want to …like… I think we need to think carefully about it. It’s …like… it’s a very difficult decision for us to make.
Focusing attention
We can useliketo bring attention to what we are going to say next. We do this especially when talking about quantities and times:
There werelikefive hundred guests at the wedding.(likebrings focus to the large number of guests)
It wasn’t tilllike12:00 that I actually got to start on the project.(likebrings focus to how late it was)
Asking for an example (Like what?)
In speaking, we often uselike what?to ask for an example:
A:Some really funny things happened on the last day of school.
B:Funny things?Like what?
It can also be used to ask a question, meaning ‘similar to what?’:
[talking about a new restaurant]
A:There was kangaroo steak on the menu. I decided to try it.
B:Really?
A:Yeah. It actually tasted good.
B:Like what?
A:I don’t know. Like steak but softer.
Softening what has just been said
We can uselikeat the end of what we say to modify or soften what we have just said especially if we are not sure if it was the right thing to say:
[A and B are talking about B’s holiday]
A:So did you buy anything there?
B:No. It was too expensive,like.
I hated the film. It was very violent,like.
Reported speech
It has become common in very informal speaking to uselikeas a reporting verb. It can be used to report what someone said or what someone thought. It is used especially by young people, and it makes what is reported sound more dramatic:
Jason waslike‘I’m not going to Alma’s party because Chris is going to be there’ and I’mlike‘he’s so afraid of Chris’.(in the first use oflike, it means ‘he said’, but in the second use it means ‘I thought’)
Saying something is like something else
We can use the structureit + be + liketo introduce an example or say that something is similar to something else:
It’s likewhen you go to the airport and you keep thinking that you have forgotten something important.
[a woman talking about her husband Bob]
Everyone is always saying hello to Bob.It’s likebeing married to a superstar!
Be likeorwhat is … like?
We can usebe liketo ask for a description of someone or something (e.g. their appearance, their character, their behaviour):
What’syour new apartmentlike?
Not:How is your new apartment like?
See also:
How is …?orWhat is … like?
Be likeorlook like?
We usebe liketo talk aboutsomeone’s character or personality.We uselook liketo talk about someone’s appearance:
A:What’s your new bosslike?
B:She’s nice. She’s very professional.
Not:She’s like a very professional person.
A:What does your fatherlooklike?
B:He’s verylikeme but taller and older!
| What is his personality like? Is he nice? |
| What is his appearance like? Is he handsome? |
See also:
Hate,like,loveandprefer
How