[Grammar] smell nice vs. smell nicely

[Crowned 91]

Hi! Is there a difference between "smell nice" and "smell nicely"?
Examples:

1) She smelt the rose. It smelt nice.
2) I smell nicely.

My interpretation is that the former means "The rose has a nice smell" ( smell is a linking verb and nice is an adjective which refers to the subject "it") whereas the latter means "I can perceive the smell of something with my nose." (but I do not know how to explain that in a clearer way.)

In the first part of 1) is the verb smell used as a transitive verb?
She (subject) smelt (transitive verb) the rose (object).

 

[bhaisahab]

#2 is not possible.

 

[Raymott]

#2 is unlikely. We generally don't say that we, or anyone else, smells well/nicely, or an other adverb.
A professional wine-taster has to smell nicely, but it's not in our language, or customs, to say that.
Which brings me to the joke about the dog who has no nose ...

 

[MikeNewYork]

The dog smells bad. (stinks)
The dog smells badly. (can't hunt)

Crowned, your sentences exhibit the difference between sensing verbs as linking verbs and action verbs. But we wouldn't actually say "I smell nicely".

 

[Rover_KE]

Which brings me to the joke about the dog who has no nose ...

How does he smell?

 

[MikeNewYork]

Bad and badly. :lol:

 

[Amigos4]

Which brings me to the joke about the dog who has no nose ...

How does he smell?

Rover, it appears that Raymott is tweaking our memories by referring to one of the oldest and, quite possibly, one of the worst jokes ever told!

The joke utilizes a pun, exploiting the two meanings of "smell" -- the verb form, which means to actively take in odors, and the adjective form, which means to give odors off. "How does he smell" could mean either one of these things; the joke is that it starts off leading you to assume the first meaning, but finishes up with the second. It's a play on words.

Tom: Did you hear about the dog who has no nose?
Dick: No! How does he smell?
Tom: Awful!

Feel free to use the joke at your next social gathering!!!!

Cheers,
A4