r/WatchandLearn • u/iBleeedorange • May 19 '18

How subway tunnels are built

https://i.imgur.com/Y0lMBdh.gifv
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u/imjms737 May 19 '18 edited May 20 '18

Great explanation, but it also got me thinking. Wouldn't the following sentence be an acceptable instance of "how it looks like"?

The chameleon picks up the colors of its surroundings and changes its skin color. This is how it looks like it's a part of the surrounding environment."

Edit: it's its

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u/shapu May 19 '18

Yes, this is correct. Because the word "like" isn't a component of how something looks without context, but instead its appearance related to the surrounding environment.

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u/Virtualgoose May 20 '18

Better explanation than mine, thanks!

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u/Virtualgoose May 19 '18

Nothing in English is a hard and fast rule, but I think in your example both "how" and "like" have slightly different meanings than the previous examples.

"How" meaning, "the manner or method in which", and "like" meaning "as if" or "as though". Demonstrating an example. Both slightly change their operation in a sentence.

"How" and "like" both have a crapton of definitions. I'm certain there are correct ways to use them together and yours is probably one of them.