Teaching English: Like and Look Like

TEACH LIKE AND LOOK LIKE

ESL students learning English can easily confuse like, be like and look like. They are common words/phrases that express different ideas, so it’s important to teach the differences and give students lots of practice time.

REVIEW VERB CHOICES AND MEANINGS

1. CHARACTER

What is your friend like?

1. He is funny and talkative.
2. He is smart and kind.
3. She is hard working and a little shy.

2. APPEARANCE

What does your friend look like?

1. He is tall and a little chubby.
2. She has long brown hair.
3. She looks like a happy person.

3. PREFERENCES

What does your friend like?

1. Se likes to go skating on weekends.
2. He likes cooking brunch for her family.
3. She enjoys outdoor, especially biking and hiking.

4. PROBABILITY

1. It looks like it is going to rain later today.
2. It looks like he is going to be sick.
3. She looks like she is going to fall down.

Writing Practice

• Write one sentence for each way to use like (i.e. character, appearance, preference, probability).
• Dictate your sentences to your partner. Partner should write down your sentences.
• Check for accuracy.

Practice 1: Like and Look Like

Pair work. Ask your partner the questions. S/he must answer with the correct form of like or look like. Ask at least 2 follow up questions.

STUDENT A

Ask your partner these questions.

1. What do you like eating for lunch?
2. What is your home town like?
3. What does your brother or sister look like?
4. What is the climate in Canada like?
5. Does your family like junk food?
6. What is your best friend like?
7. Would you like to live in England?
8. What do you look like?

STUDENT B

Ask your partner these questions.

1. Did you like going to high school?
2. What are you like in the morning?
3. Is there someone in the class who looks like a famous person?
4. Did you like green vegetables when you were a kid?
5. What is television like?
6. What don’t you like about Christmas?
7. What were you like as a child?
8. Do you look like you mother or father?

Writing Practice:

• Choose one of the questions from above and write a one-paragraph answer.
• Read your finished paragraph to your partner.
• Partner should ask two or three comprehension questions.

Practice 2: Like and Look Like

Look at the pictures (click here to look at the pictures). Talk with your partner and ask a few questions.

1. Describe what you see.
2. What do the people look like?
3. Why might this picture be famous or interesting?

Practice 3: Looks Like

Look at the picture. Use LOOKS LIKE to describe the things that might happen.

For example:

• It looks like he might fall down.
• She looks like she might have an accident.

PHOTO CREDIT

The image in this post comes from Moyan Brenn and its use complies with the owner’s creative commons licensing terms.

[do_widget text]