Do/can

Question

Could you tell me which one is right between (A) and (B) in the following conversation? If both of them are right, please tell me which one is better and more commonly used.

Q: How [ (A) do / (B) can ] you describe an orange?
A: It is a round, sweet, and yellow fruit.

Tamguatlay · Accepted Answer

How do you describe an orange?

Teechr · Answer

How would you describe an orange?

It is a round, sweet, and ~~yellow~~ orange-coloured fruit.

Lucas21c · Answer

Could you explain to me why the 'can' sounds unnatural?

Philip · Answer

It sounds unnatural to me because it can imply bewilderment or confusion.  Examples:  How can this have happened?  How can you be so sure?  How can you possibly like him?

Lucas21c · Answer

Then "How do you go to school?" is right, and "How can you go to school?" sounds awkward? Or, in case of this, both of them are okay?

Xerxes · Answer

lucas21cThen "How do you go to school?" is right, and "How can you go to school?" sounds awkward? Or, in case of this, both of them are okay?

Both sentences are grammatically correct, but they mean different things and it is that difference that you should pick up on and that makes the sentence sound unnatural.

How do you go/get to school?
The sentence means: what is your method of conveyance for getting to school? E.g. Do you walk? Do you take the bus?

How can you go to school?
The sentence has overtones of morality/judgment. If someone were to ask me "Xerxes, how can you go to school?", I would take it to mean "Why would you go to school? Is there something wrong with you?" The sentence implies that there is something wrong with going to school, and for those of us who value education, the sentence might indeed seem unnatural.

You could, however, ask:
How can you go to that school?
This sentence makes perfect sense and is natural: it underscores the fact that there is something wrong with the school in question.

I hope this is clear.

Xerxes · Answer

XerxesYou could, however, ask:How can you go to that school?This sentence makes perfect sense and is natural: it underscores the fact that there is something wrong with the school in question.

To elaborate a bit: in this example ("that school"), it is a particular school that is referred to. Maybe there is a gang problem in that school, or the building has toilets that function poorly, or the teachers rap students on the knuckles. Whereas "going to school" is an activity.

Just to avoid any confusion...

CalifJim · Answer

lucas21cCould you explain to me why the 'can' sounds unnatural?

This is a reason that I don't believe was touched on above.

'can' is not exactly the right choice because it focuses on physical ability.

How can you describe an orange?
By opening my mouth and saying the words.
By writing the words that describe it.

CJ

Xerxes · Answer

CalifJim makes an excellent point in his post, which I have overlooked in my own reply.

You can say:
How can you go/get to school today? There is a blizzard outside!

Lucas21c · Answer

Then, does "How can I find out about jobs in the USA?" also sound awkward?

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