I know we recently tossed around the classifications of "such as" and "for
example," but a student stumped me with this one:

What is the function of the word "like" in the following sentence: "It feels
like summer"?  Would "like summer" be an adverb clause describing how "it"
feels?  I recognize "it" as the dummy placeholder subject, but "feels" here
works as a linking verb describing a perception and should therefore be
followed by an adjective instead of an adverb, right?   How would you work
this out on a tree diagram?


I found this in the OED:

   7. predicatively, in certain idiomatic uses, chiefly with the vbs. feel,
look, sound:    a. With gerund as regimen: Having the appearance of (doing
something).    b. Giving promise of (doing something); indicating the
probable presence of (something).    c. colloq. In recent use (orig. U.S.),
to feel like: to have an inclination for, be in the humour for.


Thanks,
Heather Fester
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