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"I feel cheerful" uses feel as a copula. It's the same sentence structure as "I feel short"

let's examine the meaning
I = cheerful
I = short

"I feel good" describes an action

I feel
How? - Good

"I feel cheerful"
I = cheerful

it's the copula construction
notice you can replace "feel" with another copula for a similar meaning
"I am cheerful", "I seem cheerful"
but not with "I feel good"
"I am good" means you're kind-hearted, not healthy or happy

yes, sickly is an adjective, my mistake, I was actually looking for adverbs that can't be confused with adjectives, but I found an adjective that can't be confused with an adverb instead (which, ironically, confused me)

a better example would be:
"I play good"

Цитата: iopq от февраля 25, 2008, 07:49
But if you mean that "feel" is a copula, then "I feel good" means that I feel like a good person.

Why? Why should a word have the same meaning in all collocations?
"I feel good" means "I feel cheerful" (note: not "I feel cheerfully" - could you please explain WHY not? )

Цитата: iopq от
But the way it's used informally is ADVERBIAL.

In "I feel good"? or what do you mean?

Цитата: iopq от
Let's take adverbs that can't be confused with adjectives. In "I feel sickly" -ly is an adverb ending. Only a few adjectives were formed from -ly adjectives.

Yes, let's take those adverbs. Would you say "I feel freely" or "I feel free"?
"Sickly" is not an adverb, it's an adjective, man 

But is but a word. But "but" here is a pain in the butt, nobody but knows it as a verb.

Цитата: iopq от февраля 25, 2008, 23:07
I'm sorry, but that sentence doesn't contain a verb.

The first But plays the role of a verb. The second but is a noun here.

I'm sorry, but that sentence doesn't contain a verb.

"But if you mean "...
But me no buts.

But if you mean that "feel" is a copula, then "I feel good" means that I feel like a good person. But the way it's used informally is ADVERBIAL.

Let's take adverbs that can't be confused with adjectives. In "I feel sickly" -ly is an adverb ending. Only a few adjectives were formed from -ly adjectives.

English has no problem with word classes, you just have to understand the system. Word classes are well defined by their function in a sentence. The fact that something has the same form is irrelevant. Nouns that are used as verbs ARE verbs, and I can't think of an example where you couldn't tell if a word is a verb or a noun.

Now to the adjectives and adverbs. Adjectives describe nouns (or pronouns), adverbs describe actions, adjectives or other adverbs. What is used with a linking verb is an adjective, because it describes a noun, the verb just links the noun to its caracteristic.
There's no action in "I feel well/sad", as little as in "I am well/sad" or "I seem well/sad". The verb "to feel" only gives a subjective touch to the statement, whereas the sentences using "to be" claim to contain a more objective "truth".

You can't prove either way, English has a problem with word classes. Verbs are used as nouns, adjectives as adverbs, etc.

Цитата: iopq от февраля 18, 2008, 05:08
"I am well" means that I'm rich
"I feel well" means I'm not sick

Yeah, there's just one step from being "not sick" to being rich - stop feeling
iopq knows the secret.

Цитата: iopq от февраля 20, 2008, 10:30
More correctly said "I feel fine" (using fine as an adverb)

As an adjective.