When followed by an adjective indicative indicating the subject’s emotions or physical or mental condition, e.g. angry/pleased, happy/sad, hot/cold, tense/relaxed, nervous/confident, is normally used in the simple tenses but can also be used in the present continuous.
- How do you feel
- Are you feeling?
- I am feeling better.
Feel meaning ‘touch’ (usually in order to learn something) can be used in the continuous.
The doctor was feeling her pulse.
Similarly, feel for meaning ‘try to find something by touching’ :
- He was feeling for the keyhole in the dark.
But feel is not used in the continuous when it means ‘sense’.
- Don’t you feel the house shaking?
When it means ‘think’
- I feel you are wrong
And when it is used as a link verb:
- The water feels cold.
Rule 2: Look used in the present continuous form:
The continuous is not used with look used as link verb, e.g. That cake looks good. Or with look on (= consider), look up to (=respect) and look down on (= despise)
But look (at), look for/in/into/out and look on (= watch) are deliberate actions and can be used in the continuous tenses:
- He is looking for his glasses.
- I’m looking out for a better job.
Rule 3: Smell used in the present continuous tense form:
The continuous is not used with smell meaning ‘perceive a scant/an odor’, e.g. I smell gas.
But can be used with smell meaning ‘sniff at’:
- Why are you smelling the milk? Is it sour?
Rule 4: Taste used in the present continuous tense form:
Taste as a link verb is not used in the continuous:
- This coffee taste bitter. (has a bitter taste)
But taste meaning to taste the flavor of can be used in the continuous:
- She was tasting the pudding to see if it was sweet enough.
the coffee tastes bitter NOT the coffee taste bitter
ReplyDeleteGreat blog! Informative content!
ReplyDeleteStaffing Agencies Brooklyn NY