What have these following verbs got in common?
feel, taste, smell, sound, look
Yes, they are all verbs to do with the 5 human senses.
When we think about how they are used in English grammar, they all behave in the same way. It’s a simple grammar rule, but you might not have studied this in your English lessons, and it is a good thing to know as the kind of sentences that you use this grammar in are a very frequent part of everyday language.
Look at these example sentences:
- I feel amazing after going to the gym this morning.
- Wow, you have to tell me this recipe – it tastes incredible!
- There’s a problem with our toilet; the bathroom smells bad every morning.
- Yes, I think that will work… the plan sounds good.
- Have you lost weight? You look great!
Can you see what happens after you use one of these verbs in an English sentence?
If you haven’t quite worked it out yet, look at the same sentences again, but written in a slightly different grammatical way:
- *I feel amazingly after going to the gym this morning.
- *Wow, you have to tell me this recipe – it tastes incredibly!
- *There’s a problem with our toilet; the bathroom smells badly every morning.
- *Yes, I think that will work… the plan sounds well.
- *Have you lost weight? You look greatly!
These sentences don’t sound right, do they? That’s because you have never heard people speak English like this.
A native-speaker instinctively knows this grammar rule: After using a ‘verb of the senses’, you follow it with an ADJECTIVE (and NOT with an ADVERB)
Now it’s your turn….
Your English Grammar Homework
The best way to learn new grammar rules (or vocabulary) is to write out a few sentences that mean something to you personally, so that the sentences (and also the grammar) will be easy to remember in the future.
So, your grammar homework for this mini-lesson is to write 2 or 3 sentences in the comment section below using a verb of the senses followed by an adjective. Write out the sentences and then I will comment back to tell you if the sentences are correct or not for good usage of English grammar.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE….
Adjective Alphabet – A list of adjectives that you can use in a writing task that will be marked by an SGI teacher
Better English vocabulary – An A to Z of adjectives all describing ‘great’
Adverb Rules for Intermediate level – Ban the Eurovision song contest (An article that uses lots of adjective and adverb sentences)
FREE ONLINE GRAMMAR TEST – Test your English knowledge with the SGI Grammar test. There are 40 grammar questions and then you get your results which gives you an idea about your current level of English.
Why not come to London and really improve your grammar and your overall English level with us next year?
Did you know that you can pay now for an English course to study at ANY time during 2015 with us at SGI London?
Book now and pay before the end of December 2014 and you will only pay the lower 2014 course fees. This is a great money-saving offer for excellent English lessons in London with energetic and creative teachers.
So, for example, you can pay now for Summer School in July and August, or come and study Business English (group lessons and one-to-one private lessons), Academic English courses for university students (like IELTS Exam preparation and University Foundation courses) and General English courses for all levels from beginner to advanced)….. We have an English course in London for you no matter what your level is or what type of English you would like to improve.
Hope to see you in 2015!
