how you look like?

Question

Hi,Please correct the mistakes in the sentence below:It doesn't matter how you look like there. Thank you.H.

Grammarfreak · Accepted Answer

innertideIt doesn't matter how you look like there.

It doesn't matter how you look, (I still love you )
It doesn't matter what you look like, (I still love you)

Innertide · Answer

grammarfreakIt doesn't matter what you look like, (I still love you)

Thanks a lot grammarfreak. It'd be much appreciated if you could explain the grammar for "what you look like".
I was under the dubious impression that only "how" can be collocated with "look like".

AlpheccaStars · Answer

It doesn't matter how you look ~~like~~ there. (They don't care if you dress well or not. They don't care if you brush your hair or forget to put on makeup.)

It doesn't matter who you look like there. (They don't care if you resemble a celebrity or other personage there.)
It doesn't matter what you look like there. (They don't care if you resemble the creature from the deep lagoon or Frankenstein's monster.)

In either case, it's not a very elegant sentence.

Grammarfreak · Answer

innertide )Thanks a lot grammarfreak. It'd be much appreciated if you could explain the grammar for "what you look like".I was under the dubious impression that only "how" can be collocated with "look like".

You may hear it spoken this way but that is substandard English in my opinion. I am not a teacher but I will offer my best attempts:
How is you knee feeling today? It's less swollen, better than yesterday? (condition)
How did she look? She looked 100% better than yesterday. (condition)
How did he react to the news? Angry, and shocked ( manner)
How -is an adverb; it associates with manner and condition, not LIKE.

What is his profession? He is a policeman. (noun)
What is your favorite junk food? Ice cream and potato chip. ( nouns)
What is he like? He is nice, about your height. He looks a little bit LIKE Tom Cruise. (noun)
My approach is this: When in doubt, remember " WHAT do you LIKE?"
What - associates with LIKE.

AlpheccaStars · Answer

innertideI was under the dubious impression that only "how" can be collocated with "look like".

You had the wrong impression....

1) Look is followed by an adjective. It describes how you appear to others:

You look nice.
You look handsome.
You look healthy.
You look exhausted.

So when we ask questions, about appearance, we use "how"
When you went to the hospital, how did she look?
She looked much better than she did yesterday.

2) Look like is followed by a noun. It describes a resemblance between you and another person or object:

You look like your mother.
Sam looks like a rat. He has a long sharp nose and tiny eyes.

So when we ask questions, we use "what" or "who"

Who does the new baby look like?
The baby looks exactly like his father.

What did the car look like after the accident?
It looked like a smashed-up wreck.

how you look like?

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