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In the textbook there is a sentence,

"He depends on his parents financially and feels it embarrassing."

Is it correct to to say the following?

"He feels it embarrassing."

I checked my dictionary or other textbooks, but I cannot find any examples that "feel" is followed by an object and a complement like this. I'm stuck here. Could anyone explain this to me, please?

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  • 2
    Generally you need a verb... "feels it is embarrassing**... That being said, I'd be more likely to say "and is embarrassed by it". – Catija♦ Jun 4 '15 at 1:51
  • I think the writer just left out an implied "is". – user3169 Jun 4 '15 at 1:55
  • This construction is grammatical and not especially unusual. I think the other commenters are unknowingly responding to the fact that it sounds a little awkward in this particular sentence, where there are more-graceful alternatives. Here's an example from real life. – Ben Kovitz Jun 4 '15 at 2:04
  • @DCShannon It's the first sentence. – Ben Kovitz Jun 4 '15 at 2:15
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That sentence comes off strange because "feels it embarrassing" is an unusual phrasing. With an adjective constructed from a verb, you'd be more likely to just use the verb. Something like "feels embarrassed by it".

However, the usage of "feels it" followed by an adjective is fairly common, especially with certain stock phrases.

Examples:

  • feels it inappropriate
  • feels it important
  • feels it necessary

Any of these could, and often do, have an existential verb inserted:

  • feels it is inappropriate
  • feels it was important
  • feels it will be necessary
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