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Zenith667 Posted 11 years ago
Grammar
How or what?
I found out that to say this:
"How do you call it when you say something, and the one listening to you reacts with a short breath and smiling?" is a grammatical error, because what should be used instead of how. And that how here sounds unnatural.
It's a bit difficult for me to figure... what does it make it sound unnatural?
When I think of "how you call it" I'm thinking about "in what manner / way"
Like, "how was your day at work?" is like "in what manner / way could you describe your day?"
Similarly, "how do you call it?" I understand as "what is the way in which you say that X?"
"What" sounds to me like interrogating about a thing, like, to have a name for it, to find it (not as a location).
If it were only, e.g. "(What / How) do you call a man riding a bike?" (A: biker) then "what" should be used.
If it is "(What / How) do you call it when a man laughs softly?" (A: "I say that he chuckles"). Here, perhaps because of it, I feel inclined to use how, like "How do you know it?" as if it is the answer to a what question.
Can anybody please clarify?
"How do you call it when you say something, and the one listening to you reacts with a short breath and smiling?" is a grammatical error, because what should be used instead of how. And that how here sounds unnatural.
It's a bit difficult for me to figure... what does it make it sound unnatural?
When I think of "how you call it" I'm thinking about "in what manner / way"
Like, "how was your day at work?" is like "in what manner / way could you describe your day?"
Similarly, "how do you call it?" I understand as "what is the way in which you say that X?"
"What" sounds to me like interrogating about a thing, like, to have a name for it, to find it (not as a location).
If it were only, e.g. "(What / How) do you call a man riding a bike?" (A: biker) then "what" should be used.
If it is "(What / How) do you call it when a man laughs softly?" (A: "I say that he chuckles"). Here, perhaps because of it, I feel inclined to use how, like "How do you know it?" as if it is the answer to a what question.
Can anybody please clarify?
Top answer
" is asking for a response that describes or explains the action of the verb "know". For example, "I heard it from a friend" is explaining the means by which you know it. " would be asking for a response that describes or explains the action of the verb "call".
- " is asking for a response that describes or explains the action of the verb "know".
- For example, "I heard it from a friend" is explaining the means by which you know it.
- " would be asking for a response that describes or explains the action of the verb "call".
- g.
- "Chuckling", or "I would say that he chuckles", is not perceived as doing so.
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2 Answers
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"How do you know it?" is asking for a response that describes or explains the action of the verb "know". For example, "I heard it from a friend" is explaining the means by which you know it. In the same way, "How do you call it?" would be asking for a response that describes or explains the action of the verb "call". However, the kind of reply that you actually want, e.g. "Chuckling", or "I would
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Zenith667I found out that ...It sounds unnatural because nobody says it. You're probably over-analyzing it. Think of it as a fixed expression. When, in English, you want to know the name of something you ask "What do you call (it)?"
It's a bit difficult for me to figure... what does it make it sound unnatural?
Zenith667S
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