Cambridge Grammar of English Hardback with cd-rom a comprehensive Guide

NON-MODAL EXPRESSIONS AND SPEECH ACTS

421

What about, what if, how about

421a

What about

, what if and how about may all be used to make suggestions or give

advice or make offers. They are common in everyday conversation:

A lot of people went to the meeting and said, ‘Why don’t you, if you’re going to

have all these extra concerts and it’s going to allow seven more thousand

people into the ground, 

what about putting double glazing in cos of the noise?

’

And they wouldn’t.

(suggestion)

[deciding where to place the cooker in a new kitchen]

A: It’s going to become a little bit dangerous here. 

B: [indicating a different place] Yeah well 

what if we had it here?

A: Er, well, yeah.

(suggestion)