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Sensory States

man feels sad  fingers feel keyboard
    He feels sad.   /   He is feeling the keyboard.

Indicating sensation and perception

 

 

 

 

Sensory States vs. Dynamic Verbs
SENSORY STATE DYNAMIC VERB

Stative verbs indicate how we passively receive or experience sensations.  They mostly use the nonprogressive verb forms. (Also called "linking verbs" or "be" verbs.)

Dynamic verbs are activities using the sensory organs: the eyes, nose, ears, finger tips and tongue.  Dynamic verbs take progressive and nonprogressive verb forms. 

I hear what you are saying. (followed by a noun, noun phrase or clause)

I'm hearing you. (informal expression) / I am listening to you.

I see the picture.  (followed by a noun, noun phrase or clause)

Mario is seeing Lucia. (is visiting/dating)  / I am looking at you.

Your cello sounds good. (followed by an adjective)

The cook is sounding the dinner bell.  (is ringing)

This food tastes spicy.  (followed by an adjective)

The cook is tasting the soup.  (is trying or sampling)

I feel sick.  (followed by an adjective) / Also: I am feeling sick.
 

I am feeling your forehead to check for a fever. (am touching)  See feel below.

It is becoming more common to hear speakers use the progressive form to emphasize time – adapting to something new."How are you feeling about living away from home? ", "Is he feeling comfortable with the situation?"

 

 

strong woman  man lifting car 
I feel strong.  /  I feel strongly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feel
FEEL – STATIVE FEEL – DYNAMIC

Feel has a number of meanings.  The stative uses are other ways of saying "be".  (I am hungry.  I am strong. My hands are rough.)  If you can substitute the word "be", then it is a stative use. These "linking verbs" are typically followed by adjectives.  (Merriam-Webster 435)   (Swan 202.6)

The dynamic uses range from touching (physical activity) to expressing emotion (mental activity).  These dynamic verbs can be modified by adverbs. 

FEELING / EMOTION – to describe a physical, mental or quality state

I feel hungry / pain / cold / hot.  
I feel nervous / anxious / tired / irritable / comfortable. 
I feel good / well / sick / fine / better / worse. 
 

EXPERIENCE / BE AWARE OF SOMETHING PHYSICALLY OR EMOTIONALLY

We felt the earthquake around 2:00 a.m. in the morning. (not usually progressive)
He feels his daughter's warm breath on his neck when he hugs her.
She felt her mother's loss. (death)

FEEL GOOD / STRANGE / EXITING – to experience the effect of something

I feel strong / old / energized / fatigued after I exercise.
I felt excited to hear the news.
 

HAVE AN OPINION / BELIEVE

I feel strongly about this issue. (not usually progressive)
(Merriam-Webster. "feel" 4.b – believe, think)

FEEL SMOOTH / DRY – to describe a particular physical quality

My hands feel rough / dry / soft / stiff / moist.
The cat's fur felt soft / smooth.  

TOUCH

She felt his forehead to see if he had a fever .
The doctor didn't feel any broken bones. (find)


FEEL HURT

She felt hurt by his indifference.
He felt insulted when his father called him "boy".

SEARCH WITH THE FINGERS

She felt around her bag to find her keys.
She felt her way down the hall to the bathroom at night.
  

PHASAL VERBS / EXPRESSIONS

I feel for you.  (sympathize)
We didn't feel up to going to a movie tonight. (be in the mood, have enough energy)
Please, feel free to use my phone if you need it. (go ahead with permission)
 

PHASAL VERBS / EXPRESSIONS

We wanted to feel them out before we proposed a deal. (learn their point of view)
   

Solution - lightbulb  Pop-Q "Strongly"

 

 

Taste
TASTE– STATIVE (STATIC) TASTE – DYNAMIC

Taste is used in the nonprogressive verb form for experiencing the flavor of something. .Sometimes taste is used in the progressive form to emphasize the experience — at the moment.  This particular usage is unusual and considered somewhat affected by some people.

Taste is used in the progressive and nonprogressive form for investigating the flavor of something.  (Swan – 577) (CaGEL 118)

TASTE + ADJ/ NOUN

tastes sourHow does the plum taste? It tastes sour.
This soup tastes like/of garlic.
The food tastes too spicy. 
 

 

 

 

PERCEIVE / DETECT

taste foodI can taste mint in it too.
Do you taste a little cumin?
No, I taste cinnamon.

 

RESTAURANT  SPEECH (informal usage)

tasting tomatoHow does your food taste?
How is your food tasting? Often asked by wait persons (waiters) in restaurants.  
This food is tasting too spicy.  informal / incorrect

The progressive form is used for actively tasting something with your tongue.


 Solution - lightbulbPop-Q "Tasting"

 

SAMPLE

— Don't eat my pizza. 

— I'm just tasting it. 

 

 

 

Diagrams

Sentence Structure

 

 

 

TRADITIONAL GRAMMAR – STATES CURRENT LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS – STATIVE

Subject, linking verb, predicate adjective

Subject: noun, Predicate: verb phrase: verb – adjective

Parse: he feels sad

Diagram: He feels sad

Parse: the soup tastes bad

tree diagram: The soup tastes bad

Clause; Subject / Predicate; Finite / Nonfinite; NP –noun phrase; N – noun; VP – verb phrase; V – verb; Comp – complement; Det – determiner; PP – prepositional phrase; P – preposition; Sub – Subordinator

 

 

Resources

Huddleston, Rodney and Geoffrey K. Pullum. The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (CaGEL) . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002. (118) Print.

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, 1994.(437) Print.

Swan, Michael. Practical English Usage. 4th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. (577) Print.

 

 

 

Practice

Identifying Dynamic Actions from Passive Sensations

 

 

  1. Select the response from the menu that best completes the sentence.
  2. Compare your response to the answer by clicking the "check" button to the right.

 

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7. I can't find my keys.  I
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