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To feel, look, seem, sound ... - English lesson

Verbs of impression : to sound, to look, to feel, to seem, to smell, to taste ...

1) These verbs + adjective or noun  all mean  : 'to appear', 'to seem'.

This structure has no equivalent in French :

we can notice that the way, the means of doing the action is what decides of the precise verb to be used :

- 'Look'  is used when people or things are seen. If they are heard, you should use 'sound', if they're eaten, 'taste', if they're touched, 'feel', if they're smelt, 'smell' ...etc.

ex : How strange! These strawberies taste of mint ... 

ex : Listen ! He really doesn't sound British, does he?

ex : She looks both tired and angry.

ex : He looks younger than he really is. 

2 ) Verbs of impressions are built with :

-  VERB + as if / as though + proposition (mind the sequence of tenses).

ex: It looks as if it's going to rain .... 

ex 1 : She sounds as if she's angry ! 

ex 2 : She sounded as though she were/ was  angry, but in fact, she was upset. ( = modal preterite indicating what's unreal. )

- 'Seem' is more neutral than 'look', 'feel' ou sound' for instance :

ex : My nephew seems to be doing well in Australia !

ex : Jen and Ian seem to be getting on well together !

                                       

 

- 'To look like + V 'and 'to feel like' are used in the United States and in colloquial British English.

(  DO NOT USE THESE FORMS in an exam or a competitive exam in Europe ...) 

ex : That girl looks like a wreck, she must be helped. 

ex : He looks like he's got the flu and I feel like I've got a cold.

BEWARE ! In British English, 'to feel like + ing' =  'to have a desire or an inclination for'.

ex : She was so happy, he was feeling like dancing and couldn't help it !

- Personal subject + personal subject  => physical, psychological impressions or feelings.

ex : She felt lonely, tired and forsaken. .

                                                          

   It often does, doesn't it ?

 

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1) Don't you think your sister feel sadyour sister seems beingyour sister looks sadyour sister soundsI don't know and dejected ? I don't think so .... I rather imagine she' s feeling disappointedshe's tasting disappointmentshe look disappointedshe's feel disappointI don't know because of your reaction.
2) Look at her dress ... It looks like a veilseems be transparentsounds like a marveltastes like smokeI don't know, but if you touch it, you realise it feel fantasticlooks like velvetfeels like pure silkI don't know ! It's fantastically beautiful !
3) Try this dish ! It's typical ! It seems being IndianIt tastes like Indian foodIt looks coldIt feels spicyI don't know and it's very hot ! You'll like it !
4) The manager of my new firm seems to be very relaxedlook relaxedseem very relaxedsounds relaxingI don't know but during his speech, he sound bad-temperedsounded bad-temperedlooked irritatinglooked irritatedI don't know and also very impatient !
5) This chocolate looks goodseems goodsounds goodtastes goodI don't know but a little bitter for me ... I like my chocolate sweeter ...
6) Paula looks as a tough geniusas if she's a geniusas though a geniusI don't know ! She touches excellentShe looks excellentShe feels excellentShe sounds excellentI don't know at chess ! Yes, you're right ! Most of all, she looks terribly cleverterribly looks cleverterribly seems cleverterribly sounds cleverI don't know and seems being surelook surelooking suresounds sureI don't know of herself !
7) He looked not understandingas if he didn't understandas if he wasn't understandas though not understandI don't know, but he wasn't an idiot ! He simply was a foreigner and couldn't speak a word of English !

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