English Vocabulary in Use Pre-intermediate and Intermediate » Unit 85: The senses

Word List
  • appear [seem]
  • as if/though
  • feel [experience] n, v
  • hear
  • like [similar to]
  • listen [pay attention]
  • look n, v
  • see [use your eyes]
  • seem
  • sight
  • smell n, v
  • sound
  • taste [flavour] n, v
  • touch n, v
  • watch
Exercises

85.1 ‣ Choose the correct word to complete the sentences.

  1. I was very angry with Tom – he just wasn’t hearing / listening to what I was saying.
  2. I was listening to / hearing _____ the radio when I listened to / heard _____ a terrible noise outside.
  3. She turned up the volume but I still couldn’t listen to / hear _____ it.
  4. There’s a good film on at the cinema. Have you watched / seen _____ it?
  5. Quick. Come and watch / look at _____ this man walking by.
  6. We watched / looked at _____ the birds while they were eating food from the bird table.
  7. If you stand near the fire, you can touch / feel _____ how hot it is.
  8. You mustn’t touch / feel _____ the paintings in the museum.
  9. If you see / look _____ carefully, you can look / see _____ how the man does the magic trick.
  10. Anya wants to get a parrot, which seems / appears _____ like a strange thing to do.

85.2 ‣ Complete the sentences with a different sense verb and a word from the box. Add like where necessary.

  1. delicious
  2. a church
  3. an alarm
  4. very nice
  5. damp
  6. coconut
  7. calm and relaxed
  8. silk
  1. Abigail has just taken the cakes out of the oven and they .
  2. The sheets on her bed looked expensive, and when I touched them, they _____.
  3. I could see something quite tall in the distance. It _____.
  4. When I heard the noise I jumped out of bed because it _____.
  5. Have you tried these biscuits? They _____.
  6. I’ve just met my new class; they _____.
  7. I don’t want to sit on the grass. It _____.
  8. I saw her before the exam and she _____.

85.3 ‣ Complete the middle part of the sentences.

  1. Alexei said that Lola was doing well, so it she’ll pass the exam.
  2. Erin told me about the accident. It _____ it was quite serious.
  3. Put your hand on the radiator. Does it _____ it’s getting warm?
  4. I’ve just spoken to Tom. He _____ he’s got a cold.
  5. Have you tried the soup? It _____ it needs a bit more salt to me.
  6. Is that your little boy on the floor? It _____ he’s fallen over.
  7. Alina didn’t ask any questions. It _____ she wasn’t interested.
Answer Key
A ‣ The five basic senses


  1. sight

  2. hearing

  3. taste

  4. smell

  5. touch

To express it another way, the ability to see, hear, taste, smell and feel.

B ‣ Sense verbs with adjectives

You look tired this evening. [from what I can see]

That man sounded foreign. [from another country, from what I could hear]

This cake tastes a bit strange.

Fresh bread smells wonderful.

This shirt feels damp. [slightly wet, often in an unpleasant way]

Language help

The verbs above can all be used as nouns.
I like the look of this hotel. [the appearance of it]
I love the sound of his voice.

C ‣ Sense verbs with like or as if/though

We can describe things using sense verbs with like + noun or as if / though + clause, but not like + adjective (NOT She looks like nice). When we use like + noun, we are often describing how similar two things are.

Have you ever had a nectarine? They look like peaches.

Did you hear that noise? It sounded like an alarm.

That shampoo smells like coconut. (also smells of coconut)

Don’t you think this material feels like silk?

That boy looks as if he’s trying to get over the wall.

I spoke to Isobel. It sounded as though they had a good time on holiday.


  1. nectarine

  2. alarm

  3. coconut

  4. silk

Language help

We also use seem and appear to describe a sense or feeling about someone or something, after we have seen them, talked to them, etc. Before like + noun, we usually use seem.

I saw Will and he seemed / appeared quite happy.
The shop appears / seems to be very busy.
Amelia said she wanted to travel a bit, which seems like a good idea.

D ‣ Verbs easily confused

If you look [look carefully] at the map, you can see [are able to see] the church on the left.

They’ve been watching that man for weeks. [paying attention to something, often for a long time]

He ran into me because he wasn’t looking [paying attention].

I watched/saw a film on TV. I saw a film at the cinema. (NOT I watched a film at the cinema.)

I heard [was able to hear] what she said but I wasn’t listening [paying attention].

Don’t touch the oven [put your hand on it]. It’s hot!

Just feel my feet [put your hand on them to discover something about them]. Aren’t they cold?

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