How vs What
Can the following sentence be correct?
"How is the teacher like?"

This is a question about a character in a children's book.
If we want to ask a question about the outlook or personality of the character, isn't it better to say "What is the teacher like?", "How is the teacher?" or something like that?
Or the sentence discussed here has another meaning?

Thank you in advance!

Question

How vs What
Can the following sentence be correct?
"How is the teacher like?"

This is a question about a character in a children's book.
If we want to ask a question about the outlook or personality of the character, isn't it better to say "What is the teacher like?",  "How is the teacher?" or something like that?
Or the sentence discussed here has another meaning?

Thank you in advance!

Answer

“How is the teacher like?” is never correct. Your two suggestions are both correct and appropriate for the situation.

Answer

If you want to use 'how is the teacher like..' the 'like' is colloquial/casual for 'I mean' when specifying exactly what you want to know and needs to be completed to close. For example 'How is the teacher, like, is he fun/strict/lazy/etc..? 'How was the concert, like, was it loud/crowded/etc..? It shifts the question from an open question to a closed question.

Answer

Yes, you are correct. "How is the teacher like?" does not make sense on its own like that.

Answers · 6

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