Unit 3: Like this, like that
'Like' for preference and description
Select a unit
- 1 Nice to meet you!
- 2 What to wear
- 3 Like this, like that
- 4 The daily grind
- 5 Christmas every day
- 6 Great achievers
- 7 The Titanic
- 8 Travel
- 9 The big wedding
- 10 Sunny's job hunt
- 11 The bucket list
- 12 Moving and migration
- 13 Welcome to BBC Broadcasting House
- 14 New Year, New Project
- 15 From Handel to Hendrix
- 16 What's the weather like?
- 17 The Digital Revolution
- 18 A detective story
- 19 A place to live
- 20 The Cult of Celebrity
- 21 Welcome to your new job
- 22 Beyond the planets
- 23 Great expectations!
- 24 Eco-tourism
- 25 Moving house
- 26 It must be love
- 27 Job hunting success... and failure
- 28 Speeding into the future
- 29 Lost arts
- 30 Tales of survival
Session 1
'Like' for preference and description
Do you like cats? What are cats like? In this session, we explore different ways of using the word like, with the help of some cute cats.
Session 1 score
0 / 8
- 0 / 0Activity 1
- 0 / 4Activity 2
- 0 / 4Activity 3
- 0 / 0Activity 4
Activity 3
Different meanings of 'like'
Read the text and try the activity

In Activity 2 we heard about three cats: Chip, Rosie and Martina.
There were two types of question with like:
1) What is Chip like?
This question asks for a description of Chip:
What is Chip like? He is stubborn, but tolerant.
The pattern 'What is ______ like?' doesn't change. You can put the name of a person, place or thing in the gap.
2) What does Chip like?
This question asks about what Chip likes, enjoys or prefers:
What does Chip like? He likes drinking milk and sleeping.
For more information, have a look at our Grammar Reference.
To do
So, you think you can make these two types of questions? Test yourself with this activity!
Questions and answers with 'like'
4 Questions
Choose the correct word from the dropdown menu to make the questions and answers.
Help
Activity
Choose the correct word from the dropdown menu to make the questions and answers.
Hint
Think about which verb you use to ask for a description.Question 1 of 4
Help
Activity
Choose the correct word from the dropdown menu to make the questions and answers.
Hint
Think about which verb you use to ask about a preference.Question 2 of 4
Help
Activity
Choose the correct word from the dropdown menu to make the questions and answers.
Hint
The question asks for a description of Martina.Question 3 of 4
Help
Activity
Choose the correct word from the dropdown menu to make the questions and answers.
Hint
Question 4 of 4
Excellent! Great job! Bad luck! You scored:
Next
So, we've looked at two uses of the word like.
In the activity there was a question about Chip: What is Chip like?
Do you remember the answer? He is stubborn, and a bit unfriendly.
Unfriendly is a word that means 'not friendly'. But how is it formed and used? Learn about this in our 6 Minute Vocabulary programme about prefixes on the next page.
Session Grammar
Like (as verb)
We use like as a verb in this way: subject + like + object
I like your earrings.Like (as preposition)
We use like as a preposition in this set phrase:
what + to be + noun/noun phrase + like?
What’s your English teacher like?