Callum: Hello, I’m Callum Robertson and this is How to, the series from bbclearningenglish.com that shows you how to do things in English. In this programme we’re going to be looking at different ways of saying that you like things.
There are many ways in English of saying that you like something and the language can change depending on what you are talking about, but in this programme we’ll be looking at some simple responses to this basic question –
Example
Do you like Chinese food?
Callum: Imagine that a friend has invited you to her house for dinner and she is checking with you what she should prepare. We’ll hear some different responses and I’ll comment on them. Here’s the first one with the most basic response.
Example
Do you like Chinese food?
Yes
Callum: That’s accurate, correct English, and it does give the answer but it’s very very short and it’s not really very communicative. It doesn’t help the conversation to continue or flow. So let’s hear a longer answer.
Example
Do you like Chinese food?
Yes, I do
Callum: That’s a little better, it’s correct, it still gives an answer but short answers like that aren’t really good for continuing a conversation. Notice though that the answer is ‘Yes I do’, NOT ‘yes I like’. But we still want to hear more, so listen out now for something extra.
Example
Do you like Chinese food?
Yes I do, I really like it.
Callum: Now we’re getting somewhere! At last there’s the first sign of a personal response, we find out not just that he likes Chinese food, but he really likes it. Really likes it. ‘Really’ is a great adverb to use to highlight a strong feeling. It’s stronger than like by itself.
Example
I really like it.
Callum: Notice how the adverb ‘really’ is used, it comes before the verb.
Example
I really like it.
Callum: Adverbs like ‘really’ are not grammatically necessary but they add colour and personality to what you say. It helps to make you sound more interested and interesting. Now, let’s hear some more expressions for things that you like…
Example
I like it a lot
Callum: I like it a lot. Notice the pronunciation of this phrase, how it flows together, how the words link. ‘Like’, ‘it’, ‘a’ all flow together, ‘like it a’, ‘like it a lot’. This linking is a very common feature of pronunciation in English. When a word ends in a consonant sound and the next word starts with a vowel sound they can link together. So ‘like’, ‘it’, ‘a’ – becomes ‘like it a’ – ‘I like it a lot’.
Example
I like it a lot
Callum: And how do you think we can make that stronger? Yes, that’s right, by adding the adverb ‘really’.
Example
I really like it a lot
Callum: And here’s one more thing that you can say,
Example
I love it
Callum: I love it. Love, of course, is a very strong emotion, but you can use the word to talk about things that you really like a lot. And you can make it stronger still by using the adverb ‘really’.
Example
I really love it
Callum: I really love it
Now here’s a little exercise to practise the phrases we’ve looked at today. I’m going to say a phrase and I want you to repeat it, but use the adverb ‘really’ in the phrase. Don’t forget the adverb goes before the verb. And try and practise the linking where possible. Here goes
I like it
I really like it
I like it a lot
I really like it a lot.
I love it
I really love it.
Callum: Now to end here’s a short listening activity. Let’s go back to our food conversation and you’ll hear one of today’s phrases. Which one do you hear and also when is the dinner party?
Example conversation
Helen: Hi Neil, I’m having a dinner party on Saturday night, would you like to come?
Neil: Yes, I’d love to. What are you cooking?
Helen: I don’t know, I haven’t decided yet. Do you like Chinese food?
Neil: Yes, I love it, it’s my favourite!
Helen: Great! Is 7 o’clock OK?
Neil: That’s fine, see you then.
Callum: Well Neil used the phrase ‘I love it’ and the dinner party is at 7 o’clock on Saturday. Listen again
Example conversation
Helen: Hi Neil, I’m having a dinner party on Saturday night, would you like to come?
Neil: Yes, I’d love to. What are you cooking?
Helen: I don’t know, I haven’t decided yet. Do you like Chinese food?
Neil: Yes, I love it, it’s my favourite!
Helen: Great! Is 7 o’clock OK?
Neil: That’s fine, see you then.
Callum: Well that’s all from this edition of How to. We’ve looked at some simple expressions for saying that you like something, we’ve looked at using the adverb ‘really’ to make something stronger and we’ve also seen how some words in English link together when speaking.