Verbs of Perception

'To perceive' means that we become aware of something through the senses. So, we use verbs of perception when we talk about experiencing things through our five senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste.

The most common verbs of perception are: see, hear, feel, smell, and taste.

Examples:

Leslie saw her crying yesterday.

Hans also heard the noise back in the warehouse.

I feel good when you are around.

The dishes smell delicious.

It looked good but did not taste as good.

Other verbs of perception:

Notice

Watch

Observe

Look at

Listen to

We can group verbs of perception as follows:

Group A (action): listen to, look at, smell, taste and touch

Group B (non-action): feel*, hear, see*, smell, and taste

Group C (non-action): feel, look, smell, sound, and taste

Group A verbs indicate that the perceiver is "focusing" on a specific object. They can be used in the progressive.

Kelly is listening to her teacher carefully.

John is looking at you.

Pat is smelling the food.

Group B verbs indicate general perception and are non-progressive.

He hears a noise. (Not 'He is hearing a noise.')

I see it. (Not 'I am seeing it.')

Kim smells coffee.

Group C verbs indicate appearance (It 'seems'...) and are non-progressive.

It sounds great.

They look bad.

It smells awful.

*When feel is used to describe emotions, the progressive is sometimes used.

I feel good. Or I am feeling good.

*See can sometimes be used in expressions in the progressive.

I seeing my manager.

Jake is seeing another woman.

The general structures of verbs of perception with other verbs

1. Subject   +   Verbs of perception(transitive ones)   +   Object   +   Bare infinitive(verb 1)

This pattern suggests completed activity.

I saw Helen take the wallet from your bag yesterday.

They heard her say something.

2. Subject   +   Verbs of perception(transitive ones)   +   Object   +   Present participle(verb ing)

This pattern suggests activity in progress.

I saw Jane crossing the street this morning.

Do you smell something burning?

I can feel his heart beating slowly.