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
- _____ you like listening to music?
- _____ you like speaking English?
- _____ you keen on playing football?
- Where _____ you like meeting friends?
- _____ you fond of playing board games?
- _____ you keen on using computers?
- _____ you like talking on the phone?
- What _____ you keen on doing on weekends?
- What _____ you like doing in your free time?
- Where _____ you keen on going on holiday?
Try speaking with them and answer with the auxiliary verb:
Yes, I do.
No, I don’t.