What is “What about”? What should you know about “What about”?

English has multiple structures to invite or request somebody to do something, among which is “What about”. In this article, PREP will introduce the usage of “what about”. Let’s check it out.

I. What is “What about”? 

"What about" is one of the most common grammatical structures in English used to make polite suggestions, proposals, or invitations to someone in a natural way.

For examples: 

• What about going to the park after dinner? 
• What about some noodles with eggs? 

In addition, "What about" can also be used to inquire about someone's situation or information, or some objects, events, and so on.

For examples:

• We are going to have a Buckingham Palace trip this weekend, what about Mary?
• Will you have an IT test this month? What about next month?

II. The usage of “what about” in English

"What about" is one of the most frequently asked questions when learning English. It's also commonly seen in exercises and tests. This structure has 2 ways of application, each with its corresponding form. Let's take a look together!

1. What about + Something

“What about” is commonly followed by a noun or a noun phrase as in the specific formula below:

What about + noun/noun phrase + …? 

• You can make suggestions, and proposals or ask someone what they want to do or not. The following examples will help you understand this structure better. For example: What about a cup of latte for your morning?
• In special cases, a noun or noun phrase referring to a person, object, or event can follow "What about" to ask about information or status of the mentioned subject. 

For examples:

• We haven’t seen each other for 2 years. I’m currently working for a marketing agency, what about you? 
• What about dinner at that new Italian restaurant?

2. What about + Ving (doing something)

Similar to What about + something, What about + V-ing is also employed to invite or request somebody to do something. The formula for What about + V-ing (doing something) is as below:

What about + V-ing + …?

Examples: 

• What about inviting Alex’s girlfriend to our party? 
• What about presenting this interesting topic to the professor?

III. Alternative structures to What about

Students can employ some helpful examples of grammar structures that have a similar meaning to "What about", which are “Let’s,” “Why don’t we/ Why not,” và “Shall we?”. All of these structures are followed by an infinitive verb. Let’s take a look at the table below:

IV. Comparison between What about and How about

Naturally, both "What about" and "How about" are used to convey the speaker's thoughts or suggestions regarding something and can be interchanged in certain situations. However, there are still distinctions in their meaning and structure. Let’s explore these differences.

In summary, while both "What about" and "How about" serve similar functions in initiating conversations or making suggestions, "What about" is generally more neutral and open-ended, while "How about" is often more direct and assertive in proposing a specific course of action. The choice between the two depends on the context of the conversation and the speaker's desired tone or level of assertiveness.

V. Exercises on What about with detailed answers

To memorize the usage of “What about” without wondering about its definition and structure, please do the following exercises.

Exercise: Choose the correct answer: 

• What about………………..up late today?
  • stay
  • wake
  • waking
• ………………..moving the chair to the corner?
  • Why not
  • What about
  • How that
• ……………….. beef steak for dinner tonight?
  • What about
  • How that
  • Why not
• I cleaned the makeup table,………………..these old stuff?
  • What about
  • How that
  • What that
• What about………………..a cup of milk?
  • drinking
  • drink
  • try

Answers:

• C. 
• B. 
• A. 
• A. 
• A. 

Here is PREP's sharing of the commonly used "What about" structure in everyday communication, learning, and work environments. You can also explore more equivalent English structures compiled by PREP. Best wishes for success!