sound
‘sound’
You use sound as a verb in front of an adjective phrase when you are describing something that you hear.
The helicopter sounded worryingly close.
The piano sounds really beautiful.
You can also use sound in front of an adjective phrase to describe the impression you have of someone when they speak.
José sounded a little disappointed.
I don't know where she comes from, but she sounds foreign.
You also use sound to describe the impression you have of someone or something that you have just heard about or read about.
‘They have a little house in the mountains.’ – ‘That sounds nice.’
The instructions sound a bit complicated.
Be careful
Don't use a progressive form. Don't say, for example, ‘That is sounding nice’.
Don't use a progressive form. Don't say, for example, ‘That is sounding nice’.
Be careful
Sound is followed by an adjective, not an adverb. Don't say ‘That sounds nicely’.
Sound is followed by an adjective, not an adverb. Don't say ‘That sounds nicely’.
‘sound like’
You can use sound like and a noun phrase to say that something has a similar sound to something else.
The bird's call sounds like a whistle.
Her footsteps sounded like pistol shots.
You can also use sound like and a noun phrase to say that someone is talking the way another person usually talks.
He sounded like a little boy being silly.
Stop telling me what to do – you sound just like my mother.
You can use sound like and a noun phrase to say that you think you can recognize what something is, because of its sound.
They were playing a piece that sounded like Mozart.
Someone left a message – it sounded like your husband.
You can also use sound like and a noun phrase to express an opinion about something that someone has just described to you.
That sounds like a lovely idea.
It sounds like something we should seriously consider.