Interrogative content clause

Question

Hi,You don't understand what it is like to have these addictions.I'd like to know how native speakers make a sentence like the underlined.Here is what I think.To have these addictions is like something.When you change this basic version to a version with extraposition, the sentence becomes as follows:It is like something to have these addictions.Now you replace 'something' with 'what' and rewrite the whole sentence as an interrogative question.What is it like to have these addictions?And inserting this question into the main clause gives:I don't understand what it is like to have these addictions.Did I get that right?  Any suggestions would be appreciated.p.s. Sorry about reposting this, but I didn't get an answer yesterday.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

You seem to have the right idea:  the underlined section apparently has its origin in a question.  I've never thought of it this way.  Native speakers don't understand things so structurally.  They know it all by instinct, having grown up speaking and hearing English - even a native English speaker who can't read or write knows all of this by instinct and can be very eloquent in his speech.

CalifJim · Answer

jooneyHere is what I think.
To have these addictions is like something.
When you change this basic version to a version with extraposition, the sentence becomes as follows:
It is like something to have these addictions.
Now you replace 'something' with 'what' and rewrite the whole sentence as an interrogative question.
What is it like to have these addictions?
And inserting this question into the main clause gives:
I don't understand what it is like to have these addictions.
Did I get that right?

That's it. Good analysis.

CJ

Jooney · Answer

Hi Anon,

Thank you for the answer.

Jooney · Answer

Hi CJ,

Thank you for the reply. I have another question.

"What is it like to do something?"

"What is it like to be something?"

ex) What is it like to live in New York City?

ex) What is it like to be addicted to food?

ex) What is it like to be a vet?

How would you rephrase this kind of questions in such a way that non-native speakers could easily understand what these questions really mean.

"What are the things that you experience when you do something/become something etc?" Is this what they mean?

Anonymous · Answer

This type of question is almost rhetorical in nature (a rhetorical question is one that doesn't expect an answer). For example, suppose someone you grew up with moves to NYC. When you meet him, as a kind of greeting more than anything else, you might ask him: "What's it like to live in NYC?" When you ask this, you don't expect a detailed answer about how NY compares to your hometown, and how he spends each hr. of the day in NY, and what the people in his neighborhood are like, etc. This kind of question is more just to be sociable. You haven't seen him since he's moved to NY, and you have to say something about him moving to NY, so you ask him this, not really expecting a detailed answer to it. About the most a person will typically say in reply to this kind of question is maybe something like: "Oh, I love it. It's so exciting compared to our hometown." Then, if you want more details of his existence in NY, you'd ask him specific things, like what work is he doing, what kind of apt. he's living in, if he's married, etc. But the initial question, "What's it like living in NY?", is more of a greeting and an icebreaker only, and you don't really expect him to give a detailed account of living in NY in response to this one question.

Same with, "What's it like being addicted to food?". This is more of an icebreaker with a person who has a serious problem and is probably very overweight because of it, a really touchy situation. If the person replies enthusiastically and seems to want to talk about it, then you might ask more questions.

Same with "What's it like being a vet?" This can be a touchy subject with a man who has been in combat. He might not want to talk about his experiences. If he answers enthusiastically and seems to want to talk about it, then you might ask more questions. But the initial question is more a feeler and icebreaker than something you expect a detailed answer to.

Jooney · Answer

Hi Anonymous,

Thank you very much for your answers. I find them really helpful. Thanks.

BarbaraPA · Answer

I don't consider any of those questions rhetorical! You know the person lives in NY, you know the person has a medical issue related to food, or you know the person is a veterinarian*, and you have a genuine interest in learning more.

I would never ask someone what it was like to have an addiction unless we were already talking about addiction. You certainly don't walk up to a fat person and ask this as an "icebreaker"!

*I also had assumed veterinarian. Did you mean veterinarian or veteran of our armed forces?

Jooney · Answer

Hi Grammar Geek,

Thank you for the reply. You were right about your assumption. I meant veterinarian.

Since we have two different opinions, I'll have to wait for someone else's response. Thanks for your opinion, though.

BarbaraPA · Answer

In answer to your question, "What are the things you experience...?" is a good way to ask this question if you think simply "What is it like to...?" would not be understood.

CalifJim · Answer

jooneyWhat is it like to do something?"
"What is it like to be something?"
ex) What is it like to live in New York City?
ex) What is it like to be addicted to food?
ex) What is it like to be a vet?
How would you rephrase this kind of questions in such a way that non-native speakers could easily understand what these questions really mean.
"What are the things that you experience when you do something/become something etc?" Is this what they mean?

You have grasped the essential meaning, yes.

CJ

____________

The rest of this post is just additional chatter in case anyone is interested. Feel free to ignore it.

This very question, it turns out, has been investigated in philosophical circles in the recent past. Thomas Nagel wrote an article called "What is it like to be a bat?" This stimulated a host of articles with titles like "What is it like to be human (and not a bat)?" and - a rebuttal to Nagel's claims - "What is it like to be boring and myopic?" (Kathleen Akins) - qualities which the reader is never sure are meant to apply to a bat or to Nagel himself.

The basic idea of "What is it like to be an X?" is "If you were an X, what would your subjective consciousness be?" The philosophical arguments center around whether it's possible to know the answer to such questions at all. I believe it was Denett who pointed out that we can't even understand the question of what it is like to be the Queen of England, for example, because it's not clear if it's asking if you want to know what it would be like for you as you to have the experiences of the Queen of England or what it's like for you as the Queen of Englandto have the experiences of the Queen of England. It seems that neither is really possible because nobody can be two people at the same time.

CJ

Interrogative content clause

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