Spoken English

Use of How about + (verb-ing) & What if + (subject + verb): Day: 40

How about + (verb-ing)

You’re asking someone their opinion on something or if they would like to do something.

āĻ†āĻĒāĻ¨āĻŋ āĻ•āĻžāĻ‰āĻ•ā§‡ āĻ•āĻŋāĻ›ā§ āĻ¸āĻŽā§āĻĒāĻ°ā§āĻ•ā§‡ āĻ¤āĻžāĻĻā§‡āĻ° āĻŽāĻ¤āĻžāĻŽāĻ¤ āĻœāĻŋāĻœā§āĻžāĻžāĻ¸āĻž āĻ•āĻ°āĻ›ā§‡āĻ¨ āĻŦāĻž āĻ¤āĻžāĻ°āĻž āĻ•āĻŋāĻ›ā§ āĻ•āĻ°āĻ¤ā§‡ āĻšāĻžāĻ¨ āĻ•āĻŋāĻ¨āĻžāĨ¤

Here are some examples:

āĻāĻ–āĻžāĻ¨ā§‡ āĻ•āĻŋāĻ›ā§ āĻ‰āĻĻāĻžāĻšāĻ°āĻŖāĻƒ:

“How about singing?”

“āĻ—āĻžāĻ¨ āĻ—āĻžāĻ‡āĻ˛ā§‡ āĻ•ā§‡āĻŽāĻ¨ āĻšāĻ¯āĻŧ?”

“How about hanging out tonight?”

“āĻ†āĻœ āĻ°āĻžāĻ¤ā§‡ āĻ†āĻĄā§āĻĄāĻž āĻĻāĻŋāĻ¤ā§‡ āĻ—ā§‡āĻ˛ā§‡ āĻ•ā§‡āĻŽāĻ¨ āĻšāĻ¯āĻŧ?”

“How about folding the laundry for me?”

“āĻ†āĻŽāĻžāĻ° āĻœāĻ¨ā§āĻ¯ āĻ˛āĻ¨ā§āĻĄā§āĻ°āĻŋ āĻ­āĻžāĻāĻœ āĻ•āĻ°āĻ˛ā§‡ āĻ•ā§‡āĻŽāĻ¨ āĻšāĻ¯āĻŧ?”

“How about helping us out?”

“āĻ†āĻŽāĻžāĻĻā§‡āĻ° āĻ¸āĻžāĻšāĻžāĻ¯ā§āĻ¯ āĻ•āĻ°āĻ˛ā§‡ āĻ•ā§‡āĻŽāĻ¨ āĻšāĻ¯āĻŧ?”

“How about describing to me what happened?”

“āĻ•āĻŋ āĻšāĻ¯āĻŧā§‡āĻ›ā§‡ āĻ†āĻŽāĻžāĻ° āĻ•āĻžāĻ›ā§‡ āĻŦāĻ°ā§āĻŖāĻ¨āĻž āĻ•āĻ°āĻ˛ā§‡?”

“How about exploring new ideas?”

“āĻ¨āĻ¤ā§āĻ¨ āĻ§āĻžāĻ°āĻŖāĻž āĻ…āĻ¨ā§āĻŦā§‡āĻˇāĻŖ āĻ¸āĻŽā§āĻĒāĻ°ā§āĻ•ā§‡ āĻ•āĻŋāĻ­āĻžāĻŦā§‡?”

“How about comparing prices before we buy it?”

“āĻ†āĻŽāĻ°āĻž āĻāĻŸāĻŋ āĻ•ā§‡āĻ¨āĻžāĻ° āĻ†āĻ—ā§‡ āĻĻāĻžāĻŽā§‡āĻ° āĻ¤ā§āĻ˛āĻ¨āĻž āĻ•āĻ°āĻ˛ā§‡ āĻ•ā§‡āĻŽāĻ¨ āĻšāĻ¯āĻŧ?”

“How about considering it?”

“āĻāĻŸāĻž āĻŦāĻŋāĻŦā§‡āĻšāĻ¨āĻž āĻ•āĻ°āĻ˛ā§‡ āĻ•ā§‡āĻŽāĻ¨ āĻšāĻ¯āĻŧ?”

“How about following me to their house?”

“āĻ¤āĻžāĻĻā§‡āĻ° āĻŦāĻžāĻĄāĻŧāĻŋāĻ¤ā§‡ āĻ†āĻŽāĻžāĻ•ā§‡ āĻ…āĻ¨ā§āĻ¸āĻ°āĻŖ āĻ•āĻ°āĻ˛ā§‡ āĻ•ā§‡āĻŽāĻ¨ āĻšāĻ¯āĻŧ?”

“How about feeding the dogs?”

“āĻ•ā§āĻ•ā§āĻ°āĻĻā§‡āĻ° āĻ–āĻžāĻ“āĻ¯āĻŧāĻžāĻ˛ā§‡ āĻ•ā§‡āĻŽāĻ¨ āĻšāĻ¯āĻŧ?”

What if + (subject + verb)

Here you are asking a question about ‘in the event of’ or ‘in the event that.’ Usually you are looking for an answer at the time of the question that is being asked.

āĻāĻ–āĻžāĻ¨ā§‡ āĻ†āĻĒāĻ¨āĻŋ ‘āĻ˜āĻŸāĻ¨āĻžāĻ¯āĻŧ’ āĻŦāĻž ‘āĻ˜āĻŸāĻ¨āĻžāĻ¯āĻŧ āĻ¯ā§‡’ āĻ¸āĻŽā§āĻĒāĻ°ā§āĻ•ā§‡ āĻāĻ•āĻŸāĻŋ āĻĒā§āĻ°āĻļā§āĻ¨ āĻœāĻŋāĻœā§āĻžāĻžāĻ¸āĻž āĻ•āĻ°āĻ›ā§‡āĻ¨ā§ˇ āĻ¸āĻžāĻ§āĻžāĻ°āĻŖāĻ¤ āĻ¯ā§‡ āĻĒā§āĻ°āĻļā§āĻ¨āĻŸāĻŋ āĻ•āĻ°āĻž āĻšāĻšā§āĻ›ā§‡ āĻ¸ā§‡āĻ‡ āĻ¸āĻŽāĻ¯āĻŧ āĻ†āĻĒāĻ¨āĻŋ āĻ‰āĻ¤ā§āĻ¤āĻ° āĻ–ā§āĻāĻœāĻ›ā§‡āĻ¨āĨ¤

Here are some examples:

āĻāĻ–āĻžāĻ¨ā§‡ āĻ•āĻŋāĻ›ā§ āĻ‰āĻĻāĻžāĻšāĻ°āĻŖāĻƒ:

“What if I miss the bus?”

“āĻ†āĻŽāĻŋ āĻ¯āĻĻāĻŋ āĻŦāĻžāĻ¸ āĻŽāĻŋāĻ¸ āĻ•āĻ°āĻŋ?”

“What if I were late to dinner?”

“āĻ†āĻŽāĻŋ āĻ¯āĻĻāĻŋ āĻ°āĻžāĻ¤ā§‡āĻ° āĻ–āĻžāĻŦāĻžāĻ°ā§‡ āĻĻā§‡āĻ°āĻŋ āĻ•āĻ°āĻ¤āĻžāĻŽ?”

“What if I called her tomorrow?”

“āĻ•āĻžāĻ˛ āĻ¯āĻĻāĻŋ āĻ†āĻŽāĻŋ āĻ¤āĻžāĻ•ā§‡ āĻĢā§‹āĻ¨ āĻ•āĻ°āĻŋ?”

“What if I don’t understand?”

“āĻ†āĻŽāĻŋ āĻ¨āĻž āĻŦā§āĻāĻ˛ā§‡ āĻ•āĻŋ āĻšāĻŦā§‡?”

“What if someone sees me?”

“āĻ¯āĻĻāĻŋ āĻ•ā§‡āĻ‰ āĻ†āĻŽāĻžāĻ•ā§‡ āĻĻā§‡āĻ–ā§‡?”

“What if no one is home?”

“āĻ¯āĻĻāĻŋ āĻŦāĻžāĻĄāĻŧāĻŋāĻ¤ā§‡ āĻ•ā§‡āĻ‰ āĻ¨āĻž āĻĨāĻžāĻ•ā§‡?”

“What if they decide to stay?”

“āĻ¯āĻĻāĻŋ āĻ¤āĻžāĻ°āĻž āĻĨāĻžāĻ•āĻžāĻ° āĻ¸āĻŋāĻĻā§āĻ§āĻžāĻ¨ā§āĻ¤ āĻ¨ā§‡āĻ¯āĻŧ?”

“What if it rains while we are camping?”

“āĻ†āĻŽāĻ°āĻž āĻ•ā§āĻ¯āĻžāĻŽā§āĻĒāĻŋāĻ‚ āĻ•āĻ°āĻžāĻ° āĻ¸āĻŽāĻ¯āĻŧ āĻ¯āĻĻāĻŋ āĻŦā§ƒāĻˇā§āĻŸāĻŋ āĻšāĻ¯āĻŧ?”

“What if I do not finish on time?”

“āĻ¯āĻĻāĻŋ āĻ†āĻŽāĻŋ āĻ¸āĻŽāĻ¯āĻŧāĻŽāĻ¤ āĻļā§‡āĻˇ āĻ¨āĻž āĻ•āĻ°āĻŋ?”

“What if we introduce ourselves first?”

“āĻ†āĻŽāĻ°āĻž āĻ¯āĻĻāĻŋ āĻĒā§āĻ°āĻĨāĻŽā§‡ āĻ¨āĻŋāĻœā§‡āĻĻā§‡āĻ° āĻĒāĻ°āĻŋāĻšāĻ¯āĻŧ āĻ•āĻ°āĻŋāĻ¯āĻŧā§‡ āĻĻā§‡āĻ‡?”