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You say 'I like to do something' or 'I like doing something' to refer to something in general, as in "I like to watch movies." or "I like watching movies." Can you use like in more specific situations showing some kind of intention as in "I like to watch the/this movie."

Does the sentence "She doesn't like to admit she's wrong." refer to a general or a specific situation? Is it that she generally doesn't like to admit she's wrong, or that in a specific time and place she is refuring to accept she's wrong?

Englishfreak
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2 Answers2

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The key here is context, essentially it can mean either or both depending on the contextual situation.

That said for the example, it is more of a statement about personality so it's commonly used as a general term and rarely as the latter.

TheLimeTrees
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  • In Websters Dictionary it reads "He doesn't like to admit he was wrong.", to me it sounds more a specific statment than a general one. Specially because of the past tense of the 'that clause'. What do you think? – Englishfreak Oct 16 '15 at 12:40
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"I like to drink this tea." is fine only because it still isn't referring to a specific instance, only a specific [sort of] tea. "I like to drink this particular tea." would work only if you were still using general reference (my regular after-school-on-a Friday cup of tea).

You'd use 'I'm enjoying [drinking] this cup of tea' or perhaps 'I like this cup of tea' for more specific reference (to an episode). 'I like drinking this particular cup of tea' is incorrect not because of particular rather than general reference, but because 'like' isn't normally used punctively. 'I try to clap at this moment.' is another misuse of a durative verb.

Edwin Ashworth
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  • Thanks. What about the second part of my question? – Englishfreak Oct 16 '15 at 12:21
  • So when you just use a noun or a noun phrase it can be both general and specific, as in "I like movies." (in genera), and "I like this movie." (A specific movie like the Lord of the Rings), but when you use an infinitive or a gerund , it only has a general meaning, right? – Englishfreak Oct 16 '15 at 12:34
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    'She doesn't like to admit she's wrong.' is a generalisation, though almost certainly prompted by a specific occasion 'Deirdre won't change her mind about changing her old car, in spite of all the expensive work that needs doing on it.' .... 'Like' is a durative {Flesl.net Grammar_Glossary}, not punctive verb. This is the basic concept involved here rather than general or particular cases. – Edwin Ashworth Oct 16 '15 at 12:36
  • In Websters Dictionary it reads "He doesn't like to admit he was wrong.", to me it sounds more a specific statment than a general one. Specially because of the past tense of the 'that clause'. What do you think? – Englishfreak Oct 16 '15 at 12:42
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    It's still a durative situation (an ongoing state); it is very probably now referring back to a single instance/case. – Edwin Ashworth Oct 16 '15 at 12:49