Grammar Practice in Context - David Bolton, Noel Goodey 1997
34 Look, sound, feel, taste, smell, seem + adjective or like or as if/as though
Quick reference
• We use look, sound, feel, taste, smell, seem to talk about our impression of things. We use an adjective after them, not an adverb.
I feel terrible. (not terribly) This soup tastes good (not well)
• For visual appearance we use look. You look happy. The children looked frightened.
• We use sound to talk about the things we hear.
She sounded tired on the phone. That music sounds awful.
• We use like + a noun after these verbs to say what someone or something is similar to.
She looks like her mother. What’s that noise? - It sounds like thunder.
• We use of, not like, after taste and smell when there’s a particular taste or smell on something.
This cup tastes of washing-up liquid. These gloves smell of petrol.
• We can use as if/as though + a subject and a verb after these verbs to describe our impressions.
As if and as though mean the same. You look as though you’ve seen a ghost.
I feel as if I’m going to be sick. He sounded as if he had a cold.
• We often use the impersonal it with look, sound, feel, + as if/as though, with the meaning
’It seems as if/as though’. Look at those clouds. It looks as if it’s going to rain.
I spoke to James. It sounds as if he isn’t coming to the party.
1 Gemma is ill. Her boyfriend Rick has come to see her. Complete the sentences using the verb in brackets and each of these adjectives/adjectival phrases once: quite good, worse, very well, terrible, hot, pale, very nice.
Rick: How do you feel?
Gemma: I (1 not feel) ... What do I look like?
Rick: Well, your face (2 look) ... And you’ve almost lost your voice. You (3 sound) ... I thought you were getting better yesterday, but you (4 seem) ... today. Have you got a temperature?
Gemma: Yes, my forehead (5 feel) ...
Rick: Try this medicine.
Gemma: Ugh! It (6 not smell) ...
Rick: What does it taste like?
Gemma: Mmm! It (7 taste) ...
2 Kate has just given Amy a present. She wants Amy to guess what it is before she opens it. Look at the pictures and complete Kate’s questions and Amy’s answers.
Kate: Look at it. (1) What ... like?
Amy: (2) It ... a book.
Kate: Feel it. (3) What ...?
Amy: (4) It ... a box.
Kate: Shake it. (5 sound) What ...?
Amy: (6) It ... chocolates.
3 Complete the dialogue with like or of.
’Ugh! You smell awful.’
’What do I smell (1) ...?
’You smell (2) ... varnish. What have you been doing?’
’I’ve been varnishing the kitchen cupboards.’
’Yes, they look good. Well, I’m going to have a cup of tea. Would you like one?’
’Oh, thanks. Ugh! This cup tastes (3) ... varnish. Give me another one.’
’There’s some sugar in that jar.’
’Are you sure this is sugar? It tastes (4) ... salt.’
’Oh, sorry. Here’s the sugar.’
’Now, why don’t you go and change your clothes? You smell (5) ... a chemical factory.’
4 Helen has just arrived home after work. She is talking to her husband Paul. Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first, using the word given.
Helen: Phew! I’m tired!
Paul: You give me the impression you’ve had a bad day. (sound)
Example: You sound as if (as though) you've had a bad day.
Helen: Yes, it’s as if someone’s hit me over the head, (feel)
1 Yes, I ... over the head.
Paul: What about a glass of wine?
Helen: I think I could drink a whole bottle. (feel)
2 I ... a whole bottle.
Paul: Oh no. I don’t think we’ve got any wine. (look)
3 Oh, no. It ... we’ve got any wine. I think we’ll have to go to the pub. (looks)
4 It ... go to the pub.
Helen: Oh. I don’t think I could go out again this evening, (feel)
5 Oh. I ... I could go out again this evening.
5 Match each item on the left with the correct one on the right.
1 There’s Lisa. She doesn’t look
2 She says she feels
3 But I feel
4 She looks
5 It’s Nathan, I think. It looks
6 He doesn’t sound
7 I saw him in town with Zoe. And it looks
8 And Zoe is Lisa’s best friend. It seems
a) as though he hasn’t told Lisa.
b) like a very nice boy.
c) as if she’s treating Lisa very badly.
d) fine.
e) as if he’s found another girlfriend.
f) like someone who’s got boyfriend problems.
g) very happy today.
h) sure she isn’t telling the truth.
1... 2... 3... 4... 5... 6... 7... 8...