# What are your favorite qualities about/of/in your dog?



## DereMemo

Hi everybody. Can I say all three of these interchangeably when I want to ask a person about a dog he or she owns (not a dog he or she wants to buy)?

"What are your favorite qualities about your dog?"
"What are your favorite qualities of your dog?"
"What are your favorite qualities in your dog?"

"about" sounds the best to me here but what about others?


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## Copyright

I would use: "What are your favorite qualities of your dog?" (which sounds a bit odd) Or "What are the qualities you like most in your dog?"

If you were picking out a dog, someone might ask you: "What are your favorite qualities in a dog?" (also a bit odd) Or, "What are the qualities you're looking for in a dog?" (much more likely)


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## DereMemo

Copyright said:


> I would use: "What are your favorite qualities of your dog?" (which sounds a bit odd) Or "What are the qualities you like most in your dog?"
> 
> If you were picking out a dog, someone might ask you: "What are your favorite qualities in a dog?" (also a bit odd) Or, "What are the qualities you're looking for in a dog?" (much more likely)


Thanks.
Why would you say it if it sounds odd to you? Also why is "What are your favorite qualities about your dog" wrong to you?


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## Copyright

I don’t have any ready answers to those questions, I’m afraid. I just go by sound and experience. It’s quite possible that other members will have other thoughts, so don’t put all your trust in me ... let’s wait and see.


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## sound shift

DereMemo said:


> Why would you say it if it sounds odd to you? Also why is "What are your favorite qualities about your dog" wrong to you?


It sounds odd to me because of (1) the repetition of "your" and (2) the collocation "qualities about".


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## se16teddy

_What do you like best about your dog? _is a much more usual way to put it.


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## DereMemo

se16teddy said:


> _What do you like best about your dog? _is a much more usual way to put it.


Thanks. So you think that all of my sentences are wrong?


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## GreenWhiteBlue

DereMemo said:


> Thanks. So you think that all of my sentences are wrong?


Yes, because you are asking about "your qualities", when it's really the dog's qualities that you want to know about.


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## se16teddy

DereMemo said:


> Thanks. So you think that all of my sentences are wrong?


 If "wrong" includes "unidiomatic" - yes.


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## DereMemo

GreenWhiteBlue said:


> Yes, because you are asking about "your qualities", when it's really the dog's qualities that you want to know about.


Thank you. Why does it look like I am asking about my qualities to you?



sound shift said:


> It sounds odd to me because of (1) the repetition of "your" and (2) the collocation "qualities about".


What is wrong with "qualities about" to you? I am used to seeing and hearing "quality about sth/sb".


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## sound shift

DereMemo said:


> What is wrong with "qualities about" to you? I am used to seeing and hearing "quality about sth/sb".


I'm not.


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## sdgraham

DereMemo said:


> What is wrong with "qualities about" to you? I am used to seeing and hearing "quality about sth/sb".


 Neither am I.

As a side note, "sth" and "sb" are not English words and exist only in dictionaries.


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## PaulQ

se16teddy said:


> _What do you like best about your dog? _is a much more usual way to put it.





DereMemo said:


> What is wrong with "qualities about" to you?


It sounds like someone with an imperfect grasp of English has translated it directly from their own language.


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## GreenWhiteBlue

DereMemo said:


> Thank you. Why does it look like I am asking about my qualities to you?



It doesn't, and I didn't say it did.  I said that your question was about "your ... qualities" (I removed "favorite" to make it clearer), and you do not want to ask about "your qualities" at all; you are instead interested in a dog's qualities.


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## ain'ttranslationfun?

se16teddy said:


> _What do you like best about your dog? _is a much more usual way to put it.



What I like best about this post are its concision and naturalness.


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## PaulQ

DereMemo said:


> But it is idiomatic if I use "favorite things about" right?


Why have you changed the phrase?

"favorite things about" works
"favorite qualities about"


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## RedwoodGrove

Julie Andrews had some "favorite things". I might be tempted to say "favorite thing(s) about".

_My favorite thing about this website is that, like Vegas, it never closes._

I think this is tricky because there is no real reason not to say "favorite qualities about" except that mostly we don't. If I were forced to choose a preposition, however, it would be "in".


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## Myridon

I would say: What are your dog's best qualities?


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## PaulQ

*Qualities *attach *to *something or are *of *something. 

You will find that in English, certain prepositions attach to certain nouns and verbs - this is called "collocation."


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## PaulQ

DereMemo said:


> I didn't change any phrase.





DereMemo said:


> "What are your* favorite qualities about *your dog?"





DereMemo said:


> "*favorite things about*"





DereMemo said:


> I just wondered if it was correct if I say those sentences.


Sugar is white and granular - sugar is added to tea.
Salt is white and granular - salt is not added to tea.

Changing the original to a random example does not help you to understand the original.


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## DereMemo

Myridon said:


> I would say: What are your dog's best qualities?


But I wondered about the sentences with "favorite qualities".


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## PaulQ

DereMemo said:


> But I wondered about the sentences with "favorite qualities".


I think that has been answered.


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## DereMemo

PaulQ said:


> Sugar is white and granular - sugar is added to tea.
> Salt is white and granular - salt is not added to tea.
> 
> Changing the original to a random example does not help you to understand the original.


I didn't change anything original or something. What are you talking about? I don't understand what you are talking about.


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## DereMemo

PaulQ said:


> I think that has been answered.


The fact that it has been answered by you doesn't mean that I am satisfied.


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## Myridon

DereMemo said:


> But I wondered about the sentences with "favorite qualities".


The problem is that you are trying to combine "what are *good* qualities that your dog has"  with "what are qualities that you think are *good *(your favorite)".  In fact, you would not say that those are good qualities in your dog if you don't think they are good qualities so "favorite qualities" is just redundant.  We don't need to say that and that's why we don't say that and that's partially why all of these sentences are so awkward.


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## DereMemo

se16teddy said:


> If "wrong" includes "unidiomatic" - yes.


Are all of the sentences in the title grammatically correct to you?


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## DereMemo

Myridon said:


> The problem is that you are trying to combine "what are *good* qualities that your dog has"  with "what are qualities that you think are *good *(your favorite)".  In fact, you would not say that those are good qualities in your dog if you don't think they are good qualities so "favorite qualities" is just redundant.  We don't need to say that and that's why we don't say that and that's partially why all of these sentences are so awkward.


So in your opinion isn't there any way I can form a sentence by using the words "qualities" and "favorite" when I want to mean _"what are the qualities you think are good?*"* _Also since I can't say "What are your favorite _qualities about_ your dog?", can't I say "What are the _qualities_ you like the best _about_ your dog?" or "What are the _qualities_ which are your favorite _about_ your dog?" either? 

edit: Wait, I actually can say "What are the qualities of your dog which are your favorite" by using "qualities" and "favorite".


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## PaulQ

DereMemo said:


> The fact that it has been answered by you doesn't mean that I am satisfied.


My answers are simply a few - and the others who have answered?


DereMemo said:


> What are you talking about?


I am talking about changing the important word in the sentence - you should not do this. You want to know why your example is wrong, not why a different phrase is right.


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## DereMemo

PaulQ said:


> And the others who have answered?
> 
> I am talking about changing the important word in the sentence - you should not do this. You want to know why your example is wrong, not why a different phrase is right.


What is wrong about that I would like to hear other opinions? Also not everybody gave the same answer.


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## PaulQ

DereMemo said:


> What is wrong about that I would like to hear other opinions?


You are using the word "opinions" wrongly - you may mean "examples". But, as has been explained, if you change the noun, everything changes.

Your question seems to be "Is qualities about" correct? It is not. This has been answered.


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## Myridon

DereMemo said:


> So in your opinion isn't there any way I can form a sentence by using the words "qualities" and "favorite" when I want to mean _"what are the qualities you think are good?*"* _


No, I'm saying that you shouldn't try to combine that sentence with "What good qualities does your dog have?"  The qualities that you think are good is the definition of "good qualities" for you.  If you didn't think they were good qualities, you wouldn't say they were good qualities in your dog.

From a different angle: There are two sets of things:  Your favorite qualities. Your dog's qualities.  Your only favorite quality in a dog is long hair.  Your dog has short hair and beautiful eyes.  Your favorite qualities in your dog are <nothing>.  Your dog has beautiful eyes, but that isn't one of your favorite qualities.


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## Packard

Copyright said:


> I would use: "What are your favorite qualities of your dog?" (which sounds a bit odd) Or "What are the qualities you like most in your dog?"
> 
> If you were picking out a dog, someone might ask you: "What are your favorite qualities in a dog?" (also a bit odd) Or, "What are the qualities you're looking for in a dog?" (much more likely)



I agree, though my thought was, "What do you like best about your dog?"

(My answer would be "that he is my dog".)


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## DereMemo

PaulQ said:


> You are using the word "opinions" wrongly - you may mean "examples". But, as has been explained, if you change the noun, everything changes.
> 
> Your question seems to be "Is qualities about" correct? It is not. This has been answered.



I wonder about other sentences too. So you are saying that the sentence "What are your favorite qualities about your dog?" is grammatically correct but idiomatically wrong, right? Or do you think that it is also grammatically wrong? You also think that the other sentences in my first message are grammatically right but idiomatically wrong, yes? Which one is the least odd sounding one for you? I guess it is this one for you: "What are your favorite qualities of your dog?"


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## Packard

DereMemo said:


> So in your opinion isn't there any way I can form a sentence by using the words "qualities" and "favorite" when I want to mean _"what are the qualities you think are good?*"* _Also since I can't say "What are your favorite _qualities about_ your dog?", can't I say "What are the _qualities_ you like the best _about_ your dog?" or "What are the _qualities_ which are your favorite _about_ your dog?" either?
> 
> edit: Wait, I actually can say "What are the qualities of your dog which are your favorite" by using "qualities" and "favorite".



I hear "characteristics" or "traits" far more often.

_The characteristics that make German Shepherds so popular are intelligence, obedience and loyalty.

The Standard Poodle's traits of train-ability, intelligence and non-shedding coat are important to a lot of pet owners.

I love my dog because he doesn't bite, pee or poop in the house or chew up the furniture.  For me, that is the definition of an intelligent dog._


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## DereMemo

By using Google I found many sentences which include "qualities about". Are all of these people who used it nonnative speakers then? For example the people who work for this website in the link are not native English speakers then? 
What’s Your Favorite Quality About Yourself? | Valley Magazine
Or the people who open these topics
Five qualities you love about yourself - ReachOut Forums - 65651
[Serious] What is your favorite quality about yourself? • r/AskReddit


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## PaulQ

DereMemo said:


> So you are saying that the sentence "What are your favorite qualities about your dog?" is grammatically correct but idiomatically wrong, right?


The sentence is syntactically wrong. "qualities" does not collocate with "about" - this prevents it being idiomatic. Grammatically, "about" is a preposition, and it has an object "your dog" and that is correct - "Tell me *about your dog*."

Myridon explains this in the second paragraph of #32.


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## DereMemo

PaulQ said:


> The sentence is syntactically wrong. "qualities" does not collocate with "about" - this prevents it being idiomatic. Grammatically, "about" is a preposition, and it has an object "your dog" and that is correct - "Tell me *about your dog*."
> 
> Myridon explains this in the second paragraph of #32.


So according to you, I can't form the sentence this way either: "What are the qualities you like about yourself" Right?
What about my other sentences in my first message? Why do you think they're wrong?


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## Hermione Golightly

> _What do you like best about your dog? _is a much more usual way to put it.



Why are you obsessing about insisting on using ' (your) favourite qualities'? 
You have already had several answers about the associated problems with these words used together.

Neither 'favourite' nor 'qualities' has been used 'correctly'. _We can't endorse unnatural, unacceptable usage English however grammatically correct it is. _
That's why we can't discuss what preposition is correct in your OP!

You've got a few hundred people-years of educated intelligent, highly experienced users of English here, but you want to argue with them? Astounding!

I've never had dogs but I've had a lovely husband for over 50 years. Some of his best qualities are not unlike a dog's.
1. *My husband's best qualities are* his unconditional love, unlimited appreciation of my talents, his brilliant mind, his loyalty, faithfulness, reliability and obedience. 
2. _*Other qualities I appreciate about* him_ are his willingness to eat whatever he's given (of course he's never given junk), and to do whatever he can to help me deal with everyday problems and difficulties.

To get back to the 'dog' questions, here are my suggestions which might be the same as other people's
What are your (dog's) best qualities?
What are the best things about your (dog)?
Which of your (dog's) qualities do you like best/most?
What do you like best about your dog?

Let's look at this:
_What are your favourite (things) about your (dog)_
This construction sounds like something an inarticulate, immature teenager might say.


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## Hermione Golightly

> So according to *you* , I can't form the sentence this way either: "What are the qualities you like about yourself" Right?


You need to say who you are talking to.

There's nothing wrong with "What qualities do you like (most/best) about yourself/your dog/ your husband?".


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## Myridon

DereMemo said:


> So according to you, I can't form the sentence this way either: "What are the qualities you like about yourself" Right?


The advice is not to say "qualities about yourself" not "like about yourself."  "Qualities" and "about" can occur in the same sentence, just not in that way.


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## DereMemo

Myridon said:


> The advice is not to say "qualities about yourself" not "like about yourself."  "Qualities" and "about" can occur in the same sentence, just not in that way.


Ok I finally got it right? I can't say "What are your favorite qualities about your dog?", but I can say "What are the qualities you like the best about your dog" or "What are the qualities of your dog which are your favorites" or "What qualities of your dog are your favorites" 
These last two sentences are kind of odd too I guess


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## ain'ttranslationfun?

PaulQ said:


> *Qualities *attach *to *something or are *of *something.
> 
> You will find that in English, certain prepositions attach to certain nouns and verbs - this is called "collocation."



I think we could also say "What qualities do you value *in *(but not 'about') a(n) xxxx?" [Concerning 'about': see Hermione's #39 (sounds like she and her husband are two very lucky people!).]


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## bennymix

DereMemo said:


> Ok I finally got it right? I can't say "What are your favorite qualities about your dog?", but I can say [a] "What are the qualities you like the best about your dog" or [-b-*] *"What are the qualities of your dog which are your favorites" or [c]"What qualities of your dog are your favorites"
> These last two sentences are kind of odd too I guess* *



[a] works, the others don't.  s16 (in his post#6) and others have made good suggestions.

The whole discussion of "qualities" of a dog is odd or misplaced or just vague.   Perhaps he's a fine fluffy chow chow.


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## Pavel Pin

so "qualities" and "best" are interchangeable?


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## Hermione Golightly

> so "qualities" and "best" are interchangeable?


.
No. 'Best' is an adjective and 'qualities' is a plural noun.

You obviously aren't following this discussion, so I think it's a bad idea to start another strand on this thread based on your lack of comprehension. You can start a thread of your own about your language problems.


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## sdgraham

Hermione Golightly said:


> .
> No. 'Best' is an adjective and 'qualities' is a plural noun.
> 
> You obviously aren't following this discussion, so I think it's a bad idea to start another strand on this thread based on your lack of comprehension. You can start a thread of your own about your language problems.


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## bennymix

Pavel Pin said:


> so "qualities" and "best" are interchangeable?



Where 'best' functions as a noun, as it sometimes does, it might have the same referent as the word 'qualities.'

Let's start with an example of best as noun:   _They always demand and get the best.
_
Let's look at Mere's example sentence, in his post #61, that I later labeled [a]:

[Mere] [a] "What are the qualities you like the best about your dog."   

It needs analysis, for it is acceptable.

Consider related sentences.  "About my dog-- his courageous qualities are the best.

Here the linking verb suggests [among the possibilities] we have a noun linked to another, as in 'That man is the President.'

Consider, "The best of the qualities of my dog is his courage."

Here 'best' _must b_e a noun, related to the noun qualities.      As in "The brave in this troop of soldiers were all killed."

Now as to "The quality you like the best, in your dog [is xxx]"  (which is acceptable, as others have implied, I think), I'd argue that similarly 'best' is noun, linked with the other noun, 'quality'.   I can't imagine 'the' preceding an adjective that is really one;  rather 'the' in front of an adjective creates a noun, as in 'the brave' example, just above.


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## suzi br

se16teddy said:


> _What do you like best about your dog? _is a much more usual way to put it.



Exactly what I would say.

The whole thing of talking about qualities in a DOG seems over-blown and inappropriate. If you drop that concept you are left with this simple, natural phrasing.

Edit to add: oops, I didn’t realise so much more debate had followed this perfect answer at #6!

I will leave it here anyway!


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