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.

āφāĻĒāύāĻŋ āĻ•āĻžāωāϕ⧇ āĻ•āĻŋāϛ⧁ āϏāĻŽā§āĻĒāĻ°ā§āϕ⧇ āϤāĻžāĻĻ⧇āϰ āĻŽāϤāĻžāĻŽāϤ āϜāĻŋāĻœā§āĻžāĻžāϏāĻž āĻ•āϰāϛ⧇āύ āĻŦāĻž āϤāĻžāϰāĻž āĻ•āĻŋāϛ⧁ āĻ•āϰāϤ⧇ āϚāĻžāύ āĻ•āĻŋāύāĻžāĨ¤

Here are some examples:

āĻāĻ–āĻžāύ⧇ āĻ•āĻŋāϛ⧁ āωāĻĻāĻžāĻšāϰāĻŖāσ:

“How about singing?”

“āĻ—āĻžāύ āĻ—āĻžāχāϞ⧇ āϕ⧇āĻŽāύ āĻšāϝāĻŧ?”

“How about hanging out tonight?”

“āφāϜ āϰāĻžāϤ⧇ āφāĻĄā§āĻĄāĻž āĻĻāĻŋāϤ⧇ āϗ⧇āϞ⧇ āϕ⧇āĻŽāύ āĻšāϝāĻŧ?”

“How about folding the laundry for me?”

“āφāĻŽāĻžāϰ āϜāĻ¨ā§āϝ āϞāĻ¨ā§āĻĄā§āϰāĻŋ āĻ­āĻžāρāϜ āĻ•āϰāϞ⧇ āϕ⧇āĻŽāύ āĻšāϝāĻŧ?”

“How about helping us out?”

“āφāĻŽāĻžāĻĻ⧇āϰ āϏāĻžāĻšāĻžāĻ¯ā§āϝ āĻ•āϰāϞ⧇ āϕ⧇āĻŽāύ āĻšāϝāĻŧ?”

“How about describing to me what happened?”

“āĻ•āĻŋ āĻšāϝāĻŧ⧇āϛ⧇ āφāĻŽāĻžāϰ āĻ•āĻžāϛ⧇ āĻŦāĻ°ā§āĻŖāύāĻž āĻ•āϰāϞ⧇?”

“How about exploring new ideas?”

“āύāϤ⧁āύ āϧāĻžāϰāĻŖāĻž āĻ…āĻ¨ā§āĻŦ⧇āώāĻŖ āϏāĻŽā§āĻĒāĻ°ā§āϕ⧇ āĻ•āĻŋāĻ­āĻžāĻŦ⧇?”

“How about comparing prices before we buy it?”

“āφāĻŽāϰāĻž āĻāϟāĻŋ āϕ⧇āύāĻžāϰ āφāϗ⧇ āĻĻāĻžāĻŽā§‡āϰ āϤ⧁āϞāύāĻž āĻ•āϰāϞ⧇ āϕ⧇āĻŽāύ āĻšāϝāĻŧ?”

“How about considering it?”

“āĻāϟāĻž āĻŦāĻŋāĻŦ⧇āϚāύāĻž āĻ•āϰāϞ⧇ āϕ⧇āĻŽāύ āĻšāϝāĻŧ?”

“How about following me to their house?”

“āϤāĻžāĻĻ⧇āϰ āĻŦāĻžāĻĄāĻŧāĻŋāϤ⧇ āφāĻŽāĻžāϕ⧇ āĻ…āύ⧁āϏāϰāĻŖ āĻ•āϰāϞ⧇ āϕ⧇āĻŽāύ āĻšāϝāĻŧ?”

“How about feeding the dogs?”

“āϕ⧁āϕ⧁āϰāĻĻ⧇āϰ āĻ–āĻžāĻ“āϝāĻŧāĻžāϞ⧇ āϕ⧇āĻŽāύ āĻšāϝāĻŧ?”

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–āĻžāύ⧇ āφāĻĒāύāĻŋ ‘āϘāϟāύāĻžāϝāĻŧ’ āĻŦāĻž ‘āϘāϟāύāĻžāϝāĻŧ āϝ⧇’ āϏāĻŽā§āĻĒāĻ°ā§āϕ⧇ āĻāĻ•āϟāĻŋ āĻĒā§āϰāĻļā§āύ āϜāĻŋāĻœā§āĻžāĻžāϏāĻž āĻ•āϰāϛ⧇āύ⧎ āϏāĻžāϧāĻžāϰāĻŖāϤ āϝ⧇ āĻĒā§āϰāĻļā§āύāϟāĻŋ āĻ•āϰāĻž āĻšāĻšā§āϛ⧇ āϏ⧇āχ āϏāĻŽāϝāĻŧ āφāĻĒāύāĻŋ āωāĻ¤ā§āϤāϰ āϖ⧁āρāϜāϛ⧇āύāĨ¤

Here are some examples:

āĻāĻ–āĻžāύ⧇ āĻ•āĻŋāϛ⧁ āωāĻĻāĻžāĻšāϰāĻŖāσ:

“What if I miss the bus?”

“āφāĻŽāĻŋ āϝāĻĻāĻŋ āĻŦāĻžāϏ āĻŽāĻŋāϏ āĻ•āϰāĻŋ?”

“What if I were late to dinner?”

“āφāĻŽāĻŋ āϝāĻĻāĻŋ āϰāĻžāϤ⧇āϰ āĻ–āĻžāĻŦāĻžāϰ⧇ āĻĻ⧇āϰāĻŋ āĻ•āϰāϤāĻžāĻŽ?”

“What if I called her tomorrow?”

“āĻ•āĻžāϞ āϝāĻĻāĻŋ āφāĻŽāĻŋ āϤāĻžāϕ⧇ āĻĢā§‹āύ āĻ•āϰāĻŋ?”

“What if I don’t understand?”

“āφāĻŽāĻŋ āύāĻž āĻŦ⧁āĻāϞ⧇ āĻ•āĻŋ āĻšāĻŦ⧇?”

“What if someone sees me?”

“āϝāĻĻāĻŋ āϕ⧇āω āφāĻŽāĻžāϕ⧇ āĻĻ⧇āϖ⧇?”

“What if no one is home?”

“āϝāĻĻāĻŋ āĻŦāĻžāĻĄāĻŧāĻŋāϤ⧇ āϕ⧇āω āύāĻž āĻĨāĻžāϕ⧇?”

“What if they decide to stay?”

“āϝāĻĻāĻŋ āϤāĻžāϰāĻž āĻĨāĻžāĻ•āĻžāϰ āϏāĻŋāĻĻā§āϧāĻžāĻ¨ā§āϤ āύ⧇āϝāĻŧ?”

“What if it rains while we are camping?”

“āφāĻŽāϰāĻž āĻ•ā§āϝāĻžāĻŽā§āĻĒāĻŋāĻ‚ āĻ•āϰāĻžāϰ āϏāĻŽāϝāĻŧ āϝāĻĻāĻŋ āĻŦ⧃āĻˇā§āϟāĻŋ āĻšāϝāĻŧ?”

“What if I do not finish on time?”

“āϝāĻĻāĻŋ āφāĻŽāĻŋ āϏāĻŽāϝāĻŧāĻŽāϤ āĻļ⧇āώ āύāĻž āĻ•āϰāĻŋ?”

“What if we introduce ourselves first?”

“āφāĻŽāϰāĻž āϝāĻĻāĻŋ āĻĒā§āϰāĻĨāĻŽā§‡ āύāĻŋāĻœā§‡āĻĻ⧇āϰ āĻĒāϰāĻŋāϚāϝāĻŧ āĻ•āϰāĻŋāϝāĻŧ⧇ āĻĻ⧇āχ?”