HOW DO YOU USE THE VERB LIKE?

An essential part of giving our opinion about something is to express what you like or dislike. In this post we are going to discuss the grammar behind the use of like and some of its synonyms.

 

In the affirmative we use like:

 

SUBJECT VERB EXAMPLE
I LIKE I like watching TV.
YOU LIKE You like reading books.
HE/SHE/IT LIKES The dog likes playing fetch.
WE LIKE We like listening to music.
THEY LIKE They like playing the guitar.
YOU (ALL) LIKE You like passing exams.

 

Careful: We almost always use like + ing in modern English.

 

In the negative we use do not/don’t like:

 

SUBJECT AUXILIARY + VERB EXAMPLE
I DON’T LIKE I don’t like singing.
YOU DON’T LIKE You don’t like video games.
HE/SHE/IT DOESN’T LIKE He doesn’t like fish.
WE DON’T LIKE We don’t like jogging.
THEY DON’T LIKE They don’t like working hard.
YOU (ALL) DON’T LIKE You don’t like swimming.

 

In the negative we can also use dislike:

 

SUBJECT VERB EXAMPLE
I DISLIKE I dislike watching TV.
YOU DISLIKE You dislike reading books.
HE/SHE/IT DISLIKES The dog dislikes playing fetch.
WE DISLIKE We dislike listening to music.
THEY DISLIKE They dislike playing the guitar.
YOU (ALL) DISLIKE You dislike passing exams.

 

In a question we use Do/Does + subject + like …?

 

AUXILIARY SUBJECT VERB EXAMPLE
DO I LIKE Do I like surfing the net?
DO YOU LIKE Do you like eating cheese?
DOES HE/SHE/IT LIKE Does he like running?
DO WE LIKE Do we like studying English?
DO THEY LIKE Do they like laughing?
DO YOU (ALL) LIKE Do you like chatting online?

 

Careful: when forming questions, do not forget the auxiliary Do/Does

 

THERE ARE MANY SYNONYMS FOR LIKE AND SYNONYMS FOR DISLIKE

We also have other forms of expressing likes, using the verb to be + adjectives + preposition: we will use be keen on as an example

 

In the affirmative we use be + keen + on:

 

SUBJECT VERB EXAMPLE
I AM I am keen on swimming.
YOU ARE You are keen on reading.
HE/SHE/IT IS He is keen on eating ham.
WE ARE We are keen on playing games.
THEY ARE they are keen on sleeping.
YOU (ALL) ARE You are keen on listening to music.

 

In the negative we use be + keen + on:

 

SUBJECT VERB EXAMPLE
I AM NOT I am not keen on singing.
YOU AREN’T/ARE NOT You aren’t keen on walking.
HE/SHE/IT IS NOT/ISN’T She isn’t keen on flying by plane.
WE AREN’T/ARE NOT We aren’t keen on writing.
THEY AREN’T/ARE NOT They aren’t keen on working.
YOU (ALL) AREN’T/ARE NOT You aren’t keen on lying.

 

In the interrogative we use be + keen + on:

 

AUXILIARY SUBJECT EXAMPLE
AM I Am I keen on doing sport?
ARE YOU Are you keen on gardening?
IS HE/SHE/IT Is she keen on cleaning?
ARE WE Are we keen on traveling?
ARE THEY Are they keen on talking?
ARE YOU (ALL) Are you keen on learning German?

 

TRY THIS EXERCISES

Grammar exercise: Fill in the gaps with the correct auxiliary verb

  1. _____ you like listening to music?
  2. _____ you like speaking English?
  3. _____ you keen on playing football?
  4. Where _____ you like meeting friends?
  5. _____ you fond of playing board games?
  6. _____ you keen on using computers?
  7. _____ you like talking on the phone?
  8. What _____ you keen on doing on weekends?
  9. What _____ you like doing in your free time?
  10. Where _____ you keen on going on holiday?

 

Try speaking with them and answer with the auxiliary verb:

 

Yes, I do.

No, I don’t.

 

DOWNLOAD THE ANSWERS IN PDF HERE

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