Hello,
What is the meaning of the expressions "what are you looking for" and "I'm looking for" in the following sentences?
1. What are you looking for in a boyfriend?
2. I'm looking for a boyfriend who is kind and honest.
meaning of "looking for a boyfriend who is ...."
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hereinchina
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fluffyhamster
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I could understand if the question was 'What is the meaning of the expression "What are you looking for in" in the following sentence?' (and indirectly, perhaps *Are you looking for in a boyfriend; !What are you looking for[,] a boyfriend?! etc), but the meaning of 'look for' really shouldn't be difficult to understand or explain (and the addition of 'in' just tells you where [i.e. the location] the looking is directed, though it has a slight element of metaphor about it - "person as location").
As for 'what' itself, that could be viewed as being short for 'What qualities or things', but then, the apparent answer of sentence 2, and the adjectives there, would appear to have already answered any question there might've been.
And I really don't know what there is to say (that wouldn't be apparent to a language teacher at least, if not also a learner beyond the basics) about the "looking for a boyfriend who is..." stretch in the thread title.
Anyway, sorry HIC, but it's difficult sometimes to know quite what the (that is, your) question is, and how to answer it therefore! I mean, if you or somebody you know is struggling with 'look for', then I'd say that is a matter for better pedagogy (demonstration, possible eventual translation and/or double-checking etc) or a good dictionary and/or grammar to sort out, than anything to do with at all difficult items of grammar or semantics. But like I say, the 'in' may have raised a heartbeat or two, but if you've met 'look for' prior to 'look for in' (and understand the difference between simple and progressive aspect, Y/N versus Wh- Qs etc), I can't really see how there'd be a problem.
( 
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As for 'what' itself, that could be viewed as being short for 'What qualities or things', but then, the apparent answer of sentence 2, and the adjectives there, would appear to have already answered any question there might've been.
And I really don't know what there is to say (that wouldn't be apparent to a language teacher at least, if not also a learner beyond the basics) about the "looking for a boyfriend who is..." stretch in the thread title.
Anyway, sorry HIC, but it's difficult sometimes to know quite what the (that is, your) question is, and how to answer it therefore! I mean, if you or somebody you know is struggling with 'look for', then I'd say that is a matter for better pedagogy (demonstration, possible eventual translation and/or double-checking etc) or a good dictionary and/or grammar to sort out, than anything to do with at all difficult items of grammar or semantics. But like I say, the 'in' may have raised a heartbeat or two, but if you've met 'look for' prior to 'look for in' (and understand the difference between simple and progressive aspect, Y/N versus Wh- Qs etc), I can't really see how there'd be a problem.
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hereinchina
- Posts: 119
- Joined: Fri May 29, 2009 1:47 pm
looking for = searching for?
Hello,
I was confused by the meaning "looking for in a person" becuase "looking for" usually means "searching for" or "trying to find". But how do you "try to find" something in a person?
for example, I'm looking for a boyfriend who is honest, does that mean you are trying to find a honesty in a boyfriend?
I was confused by the meaning "looking for in a person" becuase "looking for" usually means "searching for" or "trying to find". But how do you "try to find" something in a person?
for example, I'm looking for a boyfriend who is honest, does that mean you are trying to find a honesty in a boyfriend?
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fluffyhamster
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Yes, 'I'm looking for a boyfriend who is honest' more or less means the speaker is "trying to find honesty in a boyfriend". (Language is full of often quite subtle metaphor, or rather, slight extensions of basic meanings to cover somewhat more extended ones. But like I say, I don't think the "person as location or container" is too much of a stretch of/for 'in').
As a dialogue:
A: What (qualities/things) are you looking for in a boyfriend?
B: Honesty. [A short answer might beat the repeating of 'looking for' and 'a boyfriend' in 'I'm looking for a boyfriend who is honest'].
As a dialogue:
A: What (qualities/things) are you looking for in a boyfriend?
B: Honesty. [A short answer might beat the repeating of 'looking for' and 'a boyfriend' in 'I'm looking for a boyfriend who is honest'].