Look, feel, smell, sound, taste

1. Look, feel, smell, sound, taste • You looktired. • The dog smellsawful. • The fish tastesdelicious.

2. Look, feel, smell, sound, taste • She looks likea model. • This fabric feels likesilk. • The cake tastes likecoffee. • I feel like playing cards tonight.

3. smell of, taste of vs. smell like, taste like • The greengrocer’s smells of strawberries. • This shampoo smells like strawberries. • This soup tastes of chicken. • Frog tastes like chicken to me.

4. Look, feel, smell, sound, taste • He looks as if [he’s had a hard day]. • It smells as if [something’s burning]. • It sounds as though [someone is spanking the dog]. • It sounds like [it’s raining]. (informal)

5. Seem Seem + adjective: • You seemeager to learn new grammar! Seem + like + noun: • It seemed like a good idea. Seem + as though/as if + clause: • It seems as if [every time I clean the car it rains]!

6. Seem Seem + infinitive: • He seemsto be a nice man. • He seemsto have had a hard day at work. • He seemsto be having a busy week at the office. Take notice: there are other forms of infinitive besides the simple infinitive: • to write: simple infinitive • to have written: perfect infinitive • to be writing: continuous infinitive • to have been writing: perfect continuous infinitive • to have been written: perfect passive infinitive • and so on…

7. See, hear, watch, notice • I heard the girl play a piece by Chopin. • I heard the girl playing a piece by Chopin. • I saw the man hit his dog. • I saw the man hitting his dog every day.

8. Verbs of the senses can’t be continuous! • I am seeing Fulvio coming down the corridor.  • I am hearing people talking outside the room. • I can see Fulvio coming down the corridor.  • I can hear people talking outside the room. 

9. …except, of course, if they’re not verbs of the senses. • I’ve been hearing good things about you.  (hear = learn, come to know) • I am seeing Maria tonight.  (see = meet)