Using linking verbs used for human senses
Keywords : smell, look, feel, sound, taste,
understand, stative verbs, linking verbs, sense
verbs
Making statements using sense verbs
There are five human senses: hearing, sight, smell, touch and taste
When we describe the use of these senses, we use present simple tense. We also use the
modal verb ‘can’ to indicate the ability to see, hear, smell, taste or touch something:
‘I can see two people standing outside the class’
= sight
‘I can hear some music coming from the next room’
= hearing
‘I can taste some chilli in my food.’
= taste
‘I can smell something burning’
= smell
‘I can feel the softness of the cotton’
= touch
The so-called ‘sixth sense’ refers to something that you can ‘feel’ in another way:
This represents a sense which exists only in the mind. It is ‘psychological’. Here are some
examples of sentences which demonstrate psychological senses:
‘When I entered the exam room, I could feel the stress of the students’ ‘
‘I understand what you mean’
‘I can sense the feelings of anger’
‘I get what you are trying to say’
WATCH
A VIDEO
‘He detected the feeling of unhappiness’
‘I know what you mean’
‘I can imagine the problems you had’
These verbs are also usually used in the present simple tense as they represent, like physical
senses, a feeling that lasts for a short time. They represent the moment at which a sensation is
experienced. That is why ‘sense’ verbs are not normally described using continuous tenses.
Some verbs have a simple version to describe a sensation, and an equivalent, but different,
verb which represents a continuous use of the sense:
Simple
Continuous
I can see... (something)
I am watching...
(a video, TV, a sport etc)
I am observing...
(people, behaviour etc)
I am looking at...
(a report, a situation etc)
I can hear... (some music)
I am listening to... (the radio, some music etc.)
I can feel... (texture, softness)
I am feeling... (sad, happy, etc )
I can understand... (something)
I am beginning to understand... (a process)
Expand your knowledge:
READ
ABOUT IT
WATCH
A VIDEO
READ
ABOUT IT
Grammar note: When you use an auxiliary or helping verb in a statement or question, the main verb
is always an infinitive (the ‘uninflected’ base form of the verb). For example:
He can go (Not goes, went or going)
I can play... (Not plays, played or playing)
Can you see? (Not sees, saw or seeing)
Statements can be made into questions by reversing the subject and the modal verb ‘can’:
‘Can you see any students outside the classroom?’
‘Can you hear the music coming from the next room?’
‘Can you taste any chilli in the food?’
‘Can you smell something burning?’
‘Can you feel the softness of the cotton?’
For other verbs we use the helping verb ‘do’
Do you understand algebra?
Do you know John?
Do you get what I mean?
Do you follow what I said?
Does he comprehend what he was told?
Do you appreciate the help you are given?
Describing things using sense verbs
sweet
aggressive
hard
annoyed
beautiful
soft
sour
cheap
angry
expensive
good
rough
strong
bitter
delicious
old fashioned
spicy
scary
comfortable
bad
friendly
happy
exciting
salty
modern
It looks _________________
It smells ________________
It tastes ________________
She looks ______________
She feels ______________
He looks ___________
He seems (to be) _______
He feels ___________
It feels _____________
It looks ____________
It sounds ____________
It looks ______________
click to listen
Task: Answer the following questions and then change roles and ask your partner the
following questions:
If you stand outside the building, what can you see?
I can see..................................................................................................
My partner can see..................................................................................
If you go inside the cafeteria, what can you smell?
I can smell...............................................................................................
My partner can smell...............................................................................
If you eat ‘Tom Yam Kung’, what can you taste?
I can taste.................................................................................................
It tastes....................................................................................................
If you touch your blouse/shirt, how does it feel?
I can feel.................................................................................................
It feels....................................................................................................
If you go to a busy shopping centre, what can you hear?
I can hear..................................................................................................
My partner can hear.................................................................................
How would you describe your favourite pop star?
He/she looks.................................................
His/her music sounds...................................
We can also make comparisons between two similar things by using ‘looks like....’
He looks like his father.
She looks like her mother
He looks like his dog
She looks like her cat
She looks like her dog
Who do you look like?
I look like................................................
Who does your partner look like? He / She looks like.................................
READ
ABOUT IT
Discuss these pictures with your partner.
What do they look like?
e.g. The house looks like an angry bird.
Try to describe the following pictures using sense verbs
Durian smells.....................
It tastes.............................
The cake tastes....................
It looks.................
Somtam tastes........................
It looks...................................
Beer tastes.......................
It looks..................................
READ
ABOUT IT
Try to describe the appearance and flavours of your favourite food
My favourite food is........................................... It looks..........................................
It tastes.................................................... It smells....................................................
PRACTICE
Activity: Choose a food item and describe it without saying what it is. Your friends can try
to work out what kind of food you are describing.
These questions may help:
What does it look like?
It looks...........................................................
What does it smell like?
It smells..........................................................
What does it taste like?
It tastes..........................................................
What is it served with?
It is served with.............................................
What is it made from?
It is made from...............................................
The verb ‘feel’
We use the verb ‘feel’ to describe our emotions and feelings. We use it before an adjective.
For example: I feel happy / sad.
I feel tired.
I feel bored.
I feel excited.
I feel lazy
How do you feel in each of the following situations?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
When you wake up
When you are in a mathematics class
When you are out at a club in the evening
When you meet your boyfriend/girlfriend
Before an exam
On your birthday
On the first day of school
When you break up with a boyfriend/girlfriend
How do you feel now?
PRACTICE
WATCH
A VIDEO
WATCH
A VIDEO
WATCH
A VIDEO
Other useful stative verbs include verbs that indicate likes and dislikes:
For example,
I like french fries, but I don’t like sushi.
I dislike horror movies, but I like romantic comedies.
I like rock music, but I don’t like R and B.
I enjoy watching sport, but I don’t like playing sport.
I enjoy swimming, but I hate running.
1) What kind of food do you like?
...............................................................................................................................
2) What do you do in your free time?
...............................................................................................................................
3) What kind of music do you like?
...............................................................................................................................
4) What kind of movie do you like?
................................................................................................................................
5) What do you enjoy doing at the weekends?
................................................................................................................................
6) What kind of food do you dislike?
..............................................................................................................................
7) What kind of movie do you dislike?
..............................................................................................................................
8) What kind of music do you dislike?
..............................................................................................................................
Task: Now ask you partner these questions and write down what he/she says using third
person verbs. Don’t forget to add ‘s’ or ‘es’ to the verbs.
For example: My partner likes action movies
1) ...................................................................................................................
2) ...................................................................................................................
3) ..................................................................................................................
4) ...................................................................................................................
5) ...................................................................................................................
6) ...................................................................................................................
7) ...................................................................................................................
8) ...................................................................................................................