Words that tell how something feels
Touch words tell you what something is like when you put your hand on it.
- soft, hard
- rough, smooth
- wet, dry
- hot, cold, warm, cool
- sticky, bumpy, fuzzy, sharp
“Leo picked up a rough rock.”
“The blanket is fuzzy.”
Touch words come in pairs too
| Word | Its opposite |
|---|---|
| soft | hard |
| rough | smooth |
| wet | dry |
| hot | cold |
Knowing the pair is useful. If you cannot think of the word you want, think of the opposite and work back.
Feeling with your hands and feeling inside
The word “feel” does two different jobs in English, and this catches people.
“The blanket feels soft.” That is your hand.
“I feel happy.” That is inside you.
This course is about the first kind. Words like happy and worried and excited belong to a different course.
A quick check. Could you find out by touching it? If yes, it is a touch word.
A mistake to watch for
Some touch words also tell about the weather, and that is fine.
“The wind is cold.” Nobody is touching the wind, but you feel it on your skin, so “cold” is still a touch word.
Your turn
Which touch word fits best?
- a piece of sandpaper
- an ice cube
- a kitten
- fresh glue
Check your answers
- “rough”
- “cold”
- “soft”
- “sticky”
Remember
- Touch words tell what something is like under your hand.
- Most of them come in pairs.
- Feeling happy is not the same as feeling something with your hands.