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he was feeling a very sad man = he felt sad?
"he was feeling a very sad man" emphasizes the feeling, right?
but it's the first time i've read about a noun after 'feel'. is it the same with 'feel sad'?
i can feel your hand.
that's an example for nouns after 'feel'
but the way to say feel sad?
it means he was feeling that he was a very sad man, right?
3 Answers
- Ms. WorthLv 77 years agoFavorite Answer
The verb "feel" is one of the verbs that can be used as a linking (copulative) verb.
But like many other verbs of the same type, it can also be used as an action verb.
"I feel a sad man" uses "feel" as a linking verb, and it establishes an identity between the subject "I" and the predicate noun "man" -- so that the sentence has only one person in it. ("I" and "man" are the same human being.)
> She ran through the rain, feeling a very wet girl indeed.
> He blushed, feeling an awkward loser who would never learn how to talk to girls.
> Sassafras swished her tail angrily, feeling a most aggrieved cat.
"Feel" is not the only verb like this:
> The cookies taste good.
> The fire smelled angry and scary.
> My brother became a teenager in those years.
But in other uses, the verb "feel" (and other similar verbs) can be used as an action verb.
> I felt the sun on my shoulders.
(This use of feel does not make an identity between "I" and "the sun.")
> I can feel your hand.
(There are two separate items in this sentence, not just one: "I" and "your hand.")
> The kids tasted the ice cream first.
> He smelled the turkey roasting.
You can always test the use of a verb by seeing if subbing in some form of the verb "to be" makes sense. If so, then the verb is being used as a linking verb.
Example:
I felt sick --> I am sick. "feel" here is a copulative verb.
I feel the sun --> I am the sun. This is not what the sentence means, so "feel" here is an action verb.
The cookies taste good --> The cookies are good.
They tasted the ice cream --> They were the ice cream (makes no sense; not a linking use)
Scroll down a little on this page to read more about this:
- 7 years ago
That sentence is grammatically incorrect. It implies the person is feeling another man who is sad.
It should read: He was feeling very sad.
Beyond that, I'm not sure what your asking. Sorry. Maybe you could clarify a bit?
