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Q&A
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What is the difference between what and how in interjections?
We have various ways to express strong emotions. Two heavily used ones begin with a what or how. Look at the following examples:
1. What a day (What a good/terrible time we had)!
2. What nice/nasty weather!
3. What a nice girl/boy/man/lady!
4. What a beautiful voice!
5. What a fast runner!
At a glance it is clear that "what" modifies a noun. If we use "how" to express the above ideas, we get the following sentences:
1.1. How we enjoyed ourselves (We had such a wonderful time)!
2.1. How nice/nasty the weather is!
3.1. How nice she/he is!
4.1. How we love the famous singer!
5.1. How fast he runs!
This second group of sentences show that "how" modifies a verb (enjoy/love) or an adjective (nice) or an adverb (fast).
Such is the grammatical difference between "what" and "how" in interjections. But that is not all, and perhaps it may not be the most important thing to notice. Readers must know how to speak these sentences in the most idiomatic way. Here is what you must know and put into practice. (Part I)
(Contributed by Professor He Daokuan, an experienced teacher of English in the College of Arts, Shenzhen University)
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