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Komountain Posted 22 years ago
Grammar
Interchangeable?
Hi.
Are the expressions "How about -ing/Noun?" and "What about -ing/Noun?" interchangeable all the time? Or could there possibly be any cases where they should be differentiated? I've presented some sentences below.
1. I am free tomorrow, too. How/What about going skiing together tomorrow?
2. How/What about sitting here?
3. A: I am hungry. Let's go somewhere to eat?
B: Good idea. How/What about the restaurant over there?
4. Wife: I booked two seats for LA today.
Husband: How/What about Chicago? We talked about Chicago last night.
5. A: We changed our mind and decided to go to an ice hockey game tonight.
B: How/What about the movie tickets we purchased yesterday?
You don't have to have your comments limited on the five examples above. The more examples, the better.
Thanks a lot.
Are the expressions "How about -ing/Noun?" and "What about -ing/Noun?" interchangeable all the time? Or could there possibly be any cases where they should be differentiated? I've presented some sentences below.
1. I am free tomorrow, too. How/What about going skiing together tomorrow?
2. How/What about sitting here?
3. A: I am hungry. Let's go somewhere to eat?
B: Good idea. How/What about the restaurant over there?
4. Wife: I booked two seats for LA today.
Husband: How/What about Chicago? We talked about Chicago last night.
5. A: We changed our mind and decided to go to an ice hockey game tonight.
B: How/What about the movie tickets we purchased yesterday?
You don't have to have your comments limited on the five examples above. The more examples, the better.
Thanks a lot.
Top answer
I couldn't think of any examples that differentiated the two, so I looked it up. According to Swan, they are interchangeable for making suggestions, but 'What about' is used for bringing up forgotten points-- which explains why your (4) sounded a little strange to me using 'How about'. ' Well, I see Swan's point, but to be honest, the difference seems minimal to me.
- I couldn't think of any examples that differentiated the two, so I looked it up.
- According to Swan, they are interchangeable for making suggestions, but 'What about' is used for bringing up forgotten points-- which explains why your (4) sounded a little strange to me using 'How about'.
- ' Well, I see Swan's point, but to be honest, the difference seems minimal to me.
- I'd call the two phrases practically interchangeable in all circumstances.
- Perhaps another member can discern a difference.
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3 Answers
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I couldn't think of any examples that differentiated the two, so I looked it up. According to Swan, they are interchangeable for making suggestions, but 'What about' is used for bringing up forgotten points-- which explains why your (4) sounded a little strange to me using 'How about'.
If it is a stronger case of forgetfulness, then the difference may be more apparent:
A: '
If it is a stronger case of forgetfulness, then the difference may be more apparent:
A: '
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Thank you, MM.
If Example 4 sounds a little strange, what about Example 5, which is also related to forgetfulness?
If Example 4 sounds a little strange, what about Example 5, which is also related to forgetfulness?
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Yes, that one too, now that you mention it. It is not clear whether the speaker is suggesting or reminding of the movie tickets.
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