How would you like your coffee? and How do you like your coffee?

Question

How would you like your coffee?How do you like your coffee?Like in sentence 1, if I'm asking what kind of coffee the person wants, I think "how" is modifying coffee, but like in sentence 2, if the person already has the coffee and I'm asking if they enjoy it, "how" would be modifying "like".So, in sentence 1, is "how" an adjective modifying "coffee" and in sentence 2, is "how" an adverb modifying "like"?

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

In 1 and 2 the word "how" is an adverb - meaning "in what way" - modifying the verb "like."

1 would be used in the situation where the coffee is just about to be served to the listener, and the speaker, who is the server, is inquiring about the way the coffee is to be served.

2 would be used in the situation where the coffee is not just about to be served. For example, this could be asked when there is no coffee anywhere near the speaker and listener.

GPY · Answer

"How" questions can produce adverbial or adjectival answers. In this case:

1. How would you like your coffee? / Very strong. (adj. describing "coffee")
2a. How do you like your coffee? / Very strong. (adj. describing "coffee")
2b. How do you like your coffee? / Very much. (adv. describing "like")

(The difference between (1) and (2a) is that (1) is asking specifically about this serving, while (2a) is asking about general preference.)

However, dictionaries seem to call "how" an (interrogative) adverb regardless of whether the expected answer is adverbial or adjectival. I haven't been able to find any clear explanation of why. The reason for labelling "how" an "adverb" in the first place is presumably that it (often) produces adverbial answers, and the fact that, er, sometimes it produces adjectival answers just seems to be glossed over.

How would you like your coffee? and How do you like your coffee?

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