Language Predicates.
Examples of predicates, to recognize and use in your speech
Visual predicates
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Seeing the bright side of things
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Review
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High regard
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Out of sight
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Clear overview
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A feast for the eye
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What kind of …. do you see yourself doing?
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Can you imagine that?
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Can you picture that?
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Lighting spot
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Insight
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View
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See
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See through
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Show me
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Tunnel vision
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Vision
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Perspective
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Focus
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Put you on the spot
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Colourful
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Fata morgana
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Uncover
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Appear
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Foreseen
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Shiny
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Brilliant
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Brilliant
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Sparkling
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Illustrate
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Picture me
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Sharp
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Colour
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Blurred
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Bright/crystal clear
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Have a clear picture
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Clarify
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A glow
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In a glimpse
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Eye to eye
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Seeing in a larger context
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Mental image
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Spiritual Eye
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Naked eye
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Imagination (appealing to one’s imagination)
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Reflect
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Photographic memory
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Looks like a photo
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Overseeing
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Short-sighted
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Visible
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Demonstrate
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Picturesque
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Your true colours
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It looks like it…
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A mental image, a mental scene, in your mind’s eye
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With an eagle’s eye
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Keeping an eye on things
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At first glance
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Have an eye for something
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That’s illustrative for…
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Let me take a look
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Look, I mean…
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Have an eye on
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Against the background of
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It is not so Black and White
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Where does a lightbulb go on with you?
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Show me what you mean. I see what you mean.
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The problem stares at me in the face
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Take a closer look
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Hazing out in front
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Beautiful to see
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take a look here
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This is a new perspective on…
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What a dark subject!
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Let us shine a light on this subject.
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In the light of…
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If I were to show you an attractive proposal, would you like to see whether it is what
you want?
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Wolf in sheep’s clothing
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What an oasis of peace
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Through the eye of the needle
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Sketching a rosy picture
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Like two drops of water
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Do you see a way to do that?
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Turning a blind eye to something
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Keep your eye on…
Auditory predicates
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Questions
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Talking
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Voice
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Outspoken
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Calls
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Shout
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Say
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That is what you are saying
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I hear what you say
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Be heard
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Hear
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Loud (and clear)
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Screaming
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Harmony
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Melody
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Chanting
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Sound
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Who sets the tone?
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Hitting a different note
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That sounds like…
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Tuning / tuning in
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It clicks
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Roar
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This is in harmony with…
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Listening
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A telling sign
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Public voice
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Said to be…
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Just say…
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Sounds good
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Unheard of!
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That doesn’t tell me anything
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Chattering
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Describe in detail
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that rings a bell
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Talking to deaf ears
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How does that sound to the ears?
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Like music to the ears
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Does it tell you something?
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You are a chatterbox
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I am all ears
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Individual elements work together in harmony: they are the instruments for the verbal
orchestra.
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Kinaesthetic predicates
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I feel that…
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Cold / Warm
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Heated (heated debate)
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Hold on to that idea
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Heart warming
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Heart breaking
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Feel
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Slowly…
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Wet
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Firmly
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Solid
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Weight
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Balanced
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Light-footed
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Holding on to
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Gripping
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Transform to
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Moving someone around
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I have the feeling that
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Support
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tangibly
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Grasp (Getting a grasp on…)
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Slipped through your fingers
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Moving
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Search for trigger points
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Connect with
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Throw it out
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In concrete terms
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Scraping
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Keeps on sticking
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I feel what you are saying
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Feels good
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Crushing
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It comes down to
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Tackling the issue
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Hooking up
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Well-founded
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Get in touch with
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Hand in hand
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Persevere
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Keeping your foot on the ball
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Underlining on
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Reverse world
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Balanced
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Applying pressure
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To twist
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Falling
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Impression
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Touched
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Stirring
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Clamped
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Relaxed
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Sensitive
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razor sharp
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Striking
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Overpowered
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Insensitive
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Hard
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Soft
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let’s stay in touch
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Where does it create a familiar feeling for you?
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Walking into something
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If I make you a concrete proposal, you can experience for yourself whether it feels
good or not.
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Hold on to
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Creating a basis for
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Have a handle
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Pulling the strings
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Feel good in your skin
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The pressure is off
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Pressure
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I couldn’t put my finger on it
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A stab in the back
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Keep our spines straight.
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Always keep the door open.
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It feels like a warm blanket (of…)
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It disappears like ice in a hot oven.
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I felt like I had to walk on eggs.
Olfactory and gustatory predicates
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Bitter
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Stinking
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Fragrant
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To my taste
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Sweet
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It is right under your nose
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To my taste
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You smell danger
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Seasoning it with humour
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Tasteful