Good vs. Well
The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation
Good vs. Well
Good is an adjective while well is an adverb answering the question how. Sometimes well also functions as an adjective pertaining to health.
Examples:
You did a good job.
Good describes job, which is a noun, so good is an adjective.
You did the job well.
Well is an adverb describing how the job was performed.
I feel well.
Well is an adjective describing I.
Good vs. Well Rules
Rule: With the four senses—look, smell, taste, feel—discern if these words are being used actively to decide whether to follow them with good or well. (Hear is always used actively.)
Examples:
You smell good today.
Good describes you, not how you sniff with your nose.You smell well for someone with a cold.
You are sniffing actively with your nose here so use the adverb.She looks good for a 75-year-old grandmother.
She is not looking actively with eyes so use the adjective.
Rule: When referring to health, always use well.
Examples:
I do not feel well today.
You do not look well.
Rule: When describing someone’s emotional state, use good.
Example: He doesn’t feel good about having cheated.
So, how should you answer the question, “How are you?” If you think someone is asking about your physical well-being, answer, “I feel well,” or “I don’t feel well.” If someone is asking about your emotional state, answer, “I feel good,” or “I don’t feel good.”
Please see our post How Are You—Good, Well, or Fine?, which provides more discussion and helpful examples.
Pop Quiz
1. She jogged very good/well for her age.
2. She had a good/well time yesterday.
3. With a high fever, it is unlikely he will feel good/well enough to play basketball tomorrow.
4. Those glasses look good/well on you.
Pop Quiz Answers
1. She jogged very well for her age.
2. She had a good time yesterday.
3. With a high fever, it is unlikely he will feel well enough to play basketball tomorrow.
4. Those glasses look good on you.
Are you ready for the quiz?
If the article or the existing discussions do not address a thought or question you have on the subject, please use the "Comment" box at the bottom of this page.
What can I say except thank you for the lovely acknowledgment. You made my day!
Thank you for making this. I am in 8th grade and learning about when to use “well” and when to use “good” and this really helps me understand more on when to use each word!
We are always pleased to hear from students who find our website helpful.
Same! I’m in 8th grade and I have an exam with good vs well on it tomorrow. I needed this explanation.
Doing an English assignment on the difference between good vs. well, and this was very helpful.
Thank you, thank you, and thank you again, Jane Straus.
Your web page seems to be something I’ve been looking for for so many years! It’s EXCELLENT!
And now, speaking of the differences between the adjective ‘good’ and the adverb ‘well’. It wasn’t until a moment ago that I found out that you can use an adverb with the verbs of senses, like ‘smell’ or ‘look’. You presented the usage in a brilliant way! But, as I wrote earlier, I didn’t know that.
Looking forward for any comment on my comment.
What about the common slang use of “well!” in ordinary conversation as a response to a direct question seeking information when its use really means nothing more than “I have no clue what to say”?
This is, of course, separate from the topic of making the correct grammatical choice of good vs. well. The use of well that you are speaking of is really more of a stall tactic than slang. It occurs when the person needs more time to think about an answer.
Just the way as you did mine, Jane. From yesterday on, I’m going to be HERE every and each day of my presence on the Net! I’ve got so much helpful information to read in your brilliant Blue Book, and right here, in your extremely interesting Grammar Blog!
Thank you.
You’re very welcome!
Can we answer “I’m good” if someone asks “How are you?” ?
Technically, when referring to health, we should use “well.” However, so few people answer this way that “good” is becoming more accepted as a response.
but health is not a verb, so why would you use well?
In the q and a: how are you, i am … the questioner is asking you to describe your condition. the answer should be an adjective.
think about this: q. how is that car i sold you last month? would you answer, “it’s well?” no, you’d answer it’s good.
One of the dictionary definitions of the word well is an adjective meaning “in good health,” especially in reference to people when free of illness or injury.
The car is looking good.
The car continues to run well.
“How?” is a question that adverbs answers not adjective…. Therefore, it is confusing for many people to think of the correct usage of an adjective “good” instead of an adverb “well”.
But again, people are the ones who make language. And if majority of them continue using good instead of well or vice versa, it will become a norm.
You would probably say I’m fine, as it sounds better than either.
Please see our September 2, 2012, reply to Andy, as well as our more recent article How Are You—Good, Well, or Fine?
The question, “How are you?” is a rather ambiguous question. It can either be referring to physical health, or emotional well-being. As you stated in your article Jane, if the question is referring to physical health, “well” would be the appropriate response. If the question is to emotional state, “good” is the appropriate response. If someone asks me, “How are you today?” I am likely to interpret that as a question as to my emotional, or mental state. Therefore I would reply, “good.” Seems to me, it depends a lot on how the hearer interprets the question.
Please see our August 31, 2013, reply to akshay.
Thank you Jane for answering my question. I found your website is extremely helpful for a second language learner like me. Again, many thanks!
You’re welcome!
Is it okay to say, “Either day works great for me!” Versus “Either day works well for me?”
Yes.
Thanks for the help could you please tell me Is “you chose good” correct grammar. As I am debating about it.
If you are describing how a person chose or that you approve of a choice a person made, write “You chose well.” “You chose good” could be correct in certain instances, such as if the person chose between the words good and evil or between actions or behaviors that could be judged to be good or less than good.
No, it isn’t, it may be an adverb in American circles but if you are using English internationally then stay clear of it. Works great can suggest a lack of education, given it is actually an adjective….
Thank you for pointing out that the use of “great” as an adverb is considered “informal” in international circles. However, numerous dictionaries published in the US acknowledge that “great” can be used as an adverb. The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation and GrammarBook.com are guides for proper use of American English.
Lol. You mean “it might”. “May” denotes the state of being allowed.
Some dictionaries acknowledge that the word “may” can be used for showing possibility.
I learned something from your excellent post. One thing that you do not address is the answer, “I am doing good.” to the question, “How are you?” This is incorrect unless they are telling you that they are doing something that is beneficial. The correct statement, when using doing, would be to say, “I am doing well.” The mistake would be similar to someone saying, “I do not smell very good.” when they mean that their sense of smell is not functioning as it should.
You make an excellent point! We do hear “I am doing good” used quite often in response to “How are you?” It is correct when used in the sense of “I am getting good things accomplished.”
I just thought of something else. When someone asks, “How are you doing?” instead of “How are you?” what is the correct response?
There are a number of different responses that could be used. A few examples might be:
“I am doing well.”
“I am doing fine.”
“I am not doing well.”
Isn’t “fine” being used as an adjective here? And if so, what is wrong with using “good.?” Besides, when you look up in Merriam_Webster, they cite the notion that you can’t use good to refer to health as antiquated.
good vs. well
An old notion that it is wrong to say “I feel good” in reference to health still occasionally appears in print. The origins of this notion are obscure, but they seem to combine someone’s idea that good should be reserved to describe virtue and uncertainty about whether an adverb or an adjective should follow feel. Today nearly everyone agrees that both good and well can be predicate adjectives after feel. Both are used to express good health, but good may connote good spirits in addition to good health.
Yes, fine is an adjective. In the example sentence above from Leon that you commented on, we prefer “I am doing well” when referring to one’s general well-being. “I am doing good” could imply you are doing something beneficial.
Something I often hear thrown into the mix is, “I am doing PRETTY good.” Does the addition of “pretty” or even “very” justify the use of good instead of well in response to “how are you doing?”
Thanks!
The addition of words such as very, pretty, fairly, etc. should not have any effect on the choice of good or well. Please see our updated post How Are You—Good, Well, or Fine?
I am thinking about wearing a sign that says, “…doing well” since it seems everyone in my world has begun to use the word good when they should be using well!! Any supporters out there?
Don’t immediately dismiss the person wearing the sign, “doing good.” They may be out there performing good deeds!
What about “The cookies came out good.” meaning they were baked and they were good cookies . BUt should it be “well” ? Are we talking about how they came out or whether they tasted good?
If you said, “The cookies came out good,” that would indicate that they came out tasting good. To remove any doubt, you could say, “The cookies came out tasting good.” If you said, “The cookies came out well,” that would indicate that the cookies were baked well.
You indicate above that “I am doing fine” is an appropriate response to the question, “How are you doing?” But how does “fine” in this case differ from using “good?”
“I am doing fine.”
“I am fine.”
“I am doing good.”
“I am good.”
Saying “I am doing fine” would be similar to “I am doing very well.” Using the phrase “I am doing good” could be interpreted as “I am doing something beneficial.”
Yes, the interpretation issue makes sense; I guess what I was more unsure of was how “fine” was functioning differently from “good” in this case. Is “fine” functioning as an adverb, or is “am doing” functioning in a linking capacity, with “fine” modifying “I” in its usual role as an adjective?
The word “fine” in this sentence is functioning as an adverb meaning “very well.”
Thanks for the concise explanation, but are there not 5 senses? Hear,look, smell, taste, feel? Thanks again for the good info.
In these cases, we would use sound rather than hear: The boy sounded happy.
Thanks! What a great site.
Would you please settle a couple of friendly office disagreements for me?
(1) You say that how to answer “How are you?” depends on whether you think the person is asking about physical or emotional well-being. Aren’t we usually asking both when we ask that question? Asking that question, I would expect to hear answers like “My mother just died” or “I just won the lottery” as well as “I have a cold” or “I just ran a marathon.” What about these instances where it appears the person wonders about both?
(2) Would you agree “I feel good about my test yesterday” is always right and “I feel well about my test yesterday” is always wrong?
In most common everyday interactions, “How are you?” is just a polite greeting where a detailed answer about physical health or one’s emotional state is not usually called for. The best, most grammatically correct way to answer to cover both the physical and emotional realms is not to use good or well at all but rather to say something like “I’m fine, how are you?”
If you asked coworkers “How are you?” they could answer with one of the specific responses you mentioned, but in a full and grammatically correct way using good or well by saying:
“I feel very good; I just won the lottery!”
“Not so good; my mother just died.”
“I’m not feeling well; I have a cold.”
(In the case of the marathon, how the person feels may encompass both the physical and emotional realms and is more likely to be answered with more specific words like tired, spent, exhausted, elated, proud, etc. than with good or well.)
I do agree with you on your second question.
If you are referring to a body part that is hurting, do you use good or well?
example: My stomach doesn’t feel very good.
Should you use “good” or “well” to be correct grammatically?
The rule is “When referring to health, use well rather than good.”
My stomach doesn’t feel very well.
I came across this site for the clarification of the following heard on the tv show ‘bachelor’ by Chris the host. His question, ‘it sounds like it’s going great’.
My take is, for example, that wonderful and great are similar in that they are adjectives. It is clear that ‘it sounds like it’s going wonderful’ is missing the ‘ly’. Should not it be ‘… It’s going greatly’? Or choose a different word if that sounds off, while accurate.
So what is correct? It’s going greatly – I haven’t heard that in forever perhaps given our declining language use. Lol, let’s hear it folks…
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary says that the word great can either be an adjective or an adverb. The entry for great as an adverb reads, “in a great manner : successfully, well.” In a formal context, you might reword to “It is going wonderfully” or “It is going very well.” We’re not surprised you have not heard It’s going greatly “in forever.” We don’t know whether it has ever been acceptable to use greatly in that way.
is this correct ?
i am not turning to work today.My stomach not feeling well??
do we use turning or attending? AND
stomach not feeling well or i am not feeling well?
Use going instead of turning or attending.
I am not going to work today. I am not feeling well.
Is it ‘we’ve done good’ or ‘we’ve done well’?
Well is an adverb answering the question how about the verb done.
“We’ve done well.”
A term that has recently come into use in South Africa is “They sent well wishes…” Instead of “They sent good wishes…” The former is wrong, but I would like to know the grammatical explanation. Regards, Rob.
The word wishes is a noun, so you need an adjective to describe it. The word good is an adjective. Well is an adverb that answers the question how, as in the sentence “Your team played well today.”
I’d have to say you’re wrong when talking about your health. To be is a linking verb and describes the quality of the person.
I am good is correct.
I am well means that your quality of being able to exist is good.
An orange tastes good not well.
The two sentences I am good and I am well have different meanings. I am good means “I am virtuous, righteous, pious.” I am well means “I am in good health.”
The sentence An orange tastes good is consistent with our rule “With the four senses–look, smell, taste, feel–discern if these words are being used actively to decide whether to follow them with good or well.” Only if an orange could do the tasting could it taste well.
Thank You! That helped alot!
You are welcome (a lot)!
What is the grammatically correct answer to the question how are you?
1.I am fine 2. I am good 3.I am doing fine. 4. I am doing good.
also, please give reason(I read somewhere that the answer of ‘how’ should be an adverb.Is it correct?)
Good is an adjective while well is an adverb answering the question how. The word well can be an adjective, too. When referring to health, we often use well rather than good. If you think the question is just a polite greeting, there are many possible answers, including, “I feel well,” “I am doing well,” and “I am well.” (Saying “I am good” could imply that you are saying, “I am virtuous.”)
okay,and is fine also an adverb in ‘I am fine’?I think it should be as it answers ‘how’,isn’t it?
In the sentence “I am fine,” the word fine describes the pronoun I. Therefore, it is an adjective. In the sentence “I am doing fine,” the word fine describes the verb doing. Therefore, it is an adverb.
Absolutely clear, thanks
We would like to add a bit more information for you:
“I am well” is the standard answer to “How are you?”
“I am doing well” is another way of saying, “I am well.”
“I am good” generally means “I am a good person.”
“I am doing good” means “I am accomplishing things for the welfare of the world.”
Here’s one that’s trouble me: Speaking about movement in the show ring, I often hear, “That is a good-moving dog.” But should it be “well-moving”? I recently came across a similar construction: “a well-functioning training manual.” Can you help?
You are correct that the grammatically correct phrases are well-moving and well-functioning. The use of good as an adverb is sometimes heard in spoken form and would be informal.
I love it, you catch my mind. I’m so bright what you have written on your blog here. I’m Indonesian, so i wanna say “Terima kasih banyak” that means “thanks a lot”, your sharing is so helpful for me. See you then.
Sama sama.
At the beginning of this definition you’ve said, “‘Good’ describes ‘job’, so ‘good’ is an adjective.” To make a more easily comparable example of the difference between the use of the words ‘good’ and ‘well’, I would suggest stating, “‘Well’ describes ‘did’, which is a verb, so ‘well’ is an adverb.”
Thank you for the suggestion.
Had been teaching my son and need ur help ..Which is the adverb in the follwoing sentences..and which degree of adverb is it
1.It is not really a good time to talk to her
2. It was soon time to say goodbye
In your first sentence the adverb is really. The adverb in the second sentence is soon. They are both positive adverbs because they express a quality without reference to any other thing. Both sentences need periods at the end to be grammatically correct.
What about:
“It does my heart so good.” vs. “It does my heart so well.”?
The phrase “does my heart good” is an idiom meaning “make someone feel good emotionally.” The word “well” is never used in this phrase. An idiom is an expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its separate words but that has a separate meaning of its own.
Can you help me to know what would be correct? Is there a time that would work well for you or a time that would work good for you?
Thanks so much for your feedback!
Since the word work is a verb in your sentence, use the adverb well.
Is there a time that would work well for you?
Which statement is correct?
1. It didn’t work out very well for him.
Or
2.It didn’t work out very good for him.
Thank you.
The adverb well modifies the verb work out in your sentence. It answers how things worked out.
It didn’t work out very well for him.
It doesn’t make sense to have well attributed to a physical state and good attributed to an emotional state.
Good should be attributed to both physical and emotional, well should be attributed to the measurement of accuracy in the sense of touch.
“I don’t feel well” Meaning your sense of touch is not up to par. “Well” is an adverb describing the measure of the verb “feel” in this case.
Using good in “I don’t feel good” For emotional and physiological is describing the noun’s state regardless of the facet, and thus should be used for both situations.
In the sentence “I don’t feel well,” the word well is an adjective describing the word I. One of the dictionary definitions of the word well is an adjective meaning “in good health,” especially in reference to people when free of illness or injury.
So I guess saying to someone “You done good” don’t work well?
We are guessing that you know, but for those readers who are new to the English language, to be grammatically correct we would say that the phrase doesn’t work well.
I feel well. Here well answers the question “How do you feel” and yet in the explanations it mentions that well is an adjective. Is well not an adverb adding to the verb well? how can we conclude that it is an adjective.
In the sentence “I feel well,” the word well is an adjective describing the word I. One of the dictionary definitions of the word well is an adjective meaning “in good health,” especially in reference to people when free of illness or injury.
In Bermuda they use the well rather than good to describe taste or smell. For example “that tastes well” or “that perfume smells well”. Funnily enough I remember some old Irish nuns from my childhood (in New Zealand) also used well in this context. Is this perhaps an old dialect usage that has persisted in isolated spots like Bermuda? I have been unable to find information on this.
That is very interesting. Because of our emphasis on American English usage, we have no particular knowledge about these kinds of usages.
which is right –
Do you hear me? or Do you hear me good? or Do you hear me well?
Can you hear me? or Can you hear me good? or Can you hear me well?
thank you.
“Do you hear me?” and “Can you hear me?” are both grammatically correct. You could also say, “Do you hear me well?” or “Can you hear me well?” under certain circumstances, such as testing the clarity of the sound of a device.
Do I can Said ‘very good?”
when I been from school study ESOL, my Teacher said can not said “very good”, “very Well”
Can you guy explain it for me?
Thank You.
The adverb “very” does not affect whether to use “good” or “well.” The following sentences are similar to the examples in our blog:
You did a very good job.
You did the job very well.
I do not feel very well.
I’m trying to be a good example for my 3 year old son, and this clarified things a little beyond the regular adverb/adjective explanation. Thank you!
Can you tell me if well or good should be used after the word determining, in the following sentence:
Monitoring wells at the site are a critical component of determining how well the treatment process is working to clear contaminated water of perchloroethylene (PCE).
Use the adverb well to describe the verb working.
Is it ok to say “peter plays tennis as well as Joe”
Yes, as long as you capitalize Peter’s name.
My friend insists that “We did good”. I keep telling him that “We did well,” but he refuses to believe me. I am correct, am I not?
Both could be correct. Well is an adverb answering the question how about the verb did. We did good could mean “We did a good thing” or “We did some good today.”
I have a doubt in last question
4. Those glasses look good on you.
I think it should be ‘well’ instead of ‘good’ because here we are describing how glasses is looking on u not about the glasses . please make it clear to me …
In this case, “look” is a linking verb, meaning “appear.” Linking verbs take adjectives, not adverbs, when they describe subjects, because subjects are nouns.
Which is correct. I hope the interviews go well. or I hope the interviews go good?
Use the adverb well to describe the verb go.
Can you say:
You make me feel so well?
Using “well” in your sentence would not be wrong, but it is not idiomatic American English. Therefore, say, “You make me feel so good.”
Q: what’s wrong with you?(mother hugging her little daughter.)
A: (daughter answers>
a. I’m having a headache.
b. I don’t feel fine.
What is the correct answer? a or b ???
Although your answers are not wrong, they are not idiomatic American English. Therefore, we recommend the following:
I have a headache.
I don’t feel well.
This website was great for a school project I am doing! This website is very ‘good!’
Alright. Which is best:
I want to eat good during my stay.
Or
I want to eat well during my stay.
??
Use the adverb well to describe how you want to eat. Therefore, write “I want to eat well during my stay.”
I am writing an email and I’m not sure if it is-
I hope you and your family are doing good
Or
I hope you and your family are doing well
If you hope the family is doing good deeds unto others, say “doing good.” If you hope the family is in good health, say “doing well.”
I am curious about the hearing sense. You said that hearing is always used actively. So let’s say I bring my dog to the vet and the Doctor says “he sounds well.” In this instance (assuming the verb sound is connected to the hearing sense) wouldn’t that mean he sounds healthy? In which case the verb is not being used actively and the Vet is describing his state of health. However in another scenario let’s say that my dog sounds out words because he’s a talking dog (hypothetically lol). In this situation I could say “he sounds well” describing the action of performing a sound in which case, “sound” is being used actively. In any event I just want to know if the hearing sense can also be used interchangeably depending on the situation.
In the first example, “sounds” is a linking verb, and “well” is an adjective meaning “in good health.” We may be missing the point of your second example.
Q: Does one throw a ball GOOD or WELL?
Thank you.
Use the adverb well to describe the verb throw.
Never end a sentence with good!
Sorry, you left that out.
There is no rule prohibiting the use of the word good at the end of a sentence.
Is it ok to use this “sleep well”?
Yes, well is an adverb answering the question how about the verb sleep.
On a website our business uses, the message to clients they recommend our using states:
I have a quick favor to ask of you. If you think I’ve done good work for you, please consider writing me a recommendation.
“…Done good work”does not sound right to me. Would there be a better way to word that?
Thanks so much.
The message is grammatically correct, however, in formal writing we recommend avoiding the use of contractions. Therefore, writing “I have done” would be better. The phrase could also be written “If you think I have done a good job for you…”
Thank you for clearing up the good v. well as it concerns health. A friend from grade school (it’s been 50 years, OMG!) insisted “I feel good” would be the correct response. She cited the lesson about senses. Since my memory is no longer reliable, I could not defend my position. So, as it turns out, we could both be right, depending on the intent of the question. I will definitely be citing your lesson here during our next conversation! KF
And if I’m asked ‘How’s your English?’ meaning how I’m getting on with it can I answer ‘Good’ or should I say ‘Well’?
To make your meaning clear, a complete sentence might be better than a one-word answer.
“My English is good.” OR
“I am doing well with my English.”
I cannot get this clear in my head. I struggle every time it comes up and I think you may be the person to help. I am a medical and legal transcriptionist. The doctor is stating the patient’s/client’s answers to his/her questions, but they are not actual quoted replies. How should the following sentences (a reply to and the question asked) be worded?
He gets along good with his family and friends
He thinks he gets along good with others.
He thinks his friendships/relationships are good.
I know good should not be placed at the end of a sentence, so it brings me back to rewording the sentence (of which I have the liberty), and questioning if I should use well or good.
Thank you, very much, in advance, for your help.
There is no rule that prohibits good at the end of a sentence.
He gets along well with his family and friends.
He thinks he gets along well with others.
He thinks his friendships/relationships are good.
Is it possible to say : to do somebody (a world of) good?
Are the following sentences correct and the same as the one above:
to mean well to somebody / to mean good for somebody
to want somebody’s own good or to wish somebody good?
The idiom do somebody a world of good means “do something to help someone or make someone feel better.” It is correct to say that something or someone did or will do someone a world of good.
To mean well means “to have good intentions but not always the ability to carry them out.” It is not common to follow the phrase with the word somebody. Most likely you would just say “He means well” or “He meant well.”
The phrase for someone’s own good means “done for the benefit of oneself.” It is not common to say that you “want somebody’s own good.”
It is grammatically correct to say you wish someone well.
Examples:
A vacation will do her a world of good.
He meant well, but his directions caused us to get lost.
We know you don’t want to take this medication, but it is for your own good.
I wish you well.
Congratulations on this great webpage.
I’m having some trouble correctly identifying linking verbs. For example, in the sentence “She writes well.”, why isn’t ‘writes’ working as a linking verb? Isn’t it linking the subject ‘She’ with the quality of good writing? According to this reasoning, the grammatically correct way of stating it should be “She writes good.”.
I know that argument is not correct, but I can’t see the flaw. Thank you very much in advance. Happy New Year!
Verbs can either be linking verbs or action verbs. A linking verb does not express action. The verb writes is an action verb, not a linking verb. Well is an adverb describing how she writes.
This is a really GOOD discussion about the uses of “well” vs. “good”! Thank you very much! While I knew that the verb ‘to be’ and the linking verbs should be followed by adjectives instead of adverbs (when the intention is to describe the subject), now I finally understand why “I am well” is correct. I did not know that “well” is an adjective as well as an adverb. Thanks for clearing that up. It would be great to see this subject and all these tips collected together in a new blog post/newsletter article. There seems to be endless need for review of this difficult grammatical subject. What a great way to start off the new year: to be well AND be good!
I am preparing for my 9th Grade Lit Grammer Quiz, and Good and Well is a topic on the quiz. Thank you so much because this was very helpful!!
Thank you for this article and all the comments.
I came looking for the different between good and well to the answer to the question “how are you?” Some people always answer “good” and some always answer “well.”
Person 1: “How are you?”
Person 2: “Well, and you?”
Person 1: “Good”
I was wondering if this might be a regional preference. I think that most don’t think in terms of whether it is physical or emotional, but that made a lot of sense. I think it is more habit. But, I am glad to know that there is a distinction.
Nice web page you got here… Could u please help with the correct answer to this question and how you arrived at it.
Q: Her insulting habit of correcting everyone she meets, accompanied by her loud voice, her inability to listen to anyone, and her nervous giggles, prevents her from doing WELL/GOOD as an administrator.
Also when the word “everyone” is used, should it be accompanied with a singular pronoun such as “his/her” or with the plural pronoun “their”. eg : “everyone is responsible for HIS/THEIR unique vision of the world.
Thanks
The adverb well is correct in your example to describe the verb doing. (However, a very small minority might argue that the administrator’s poor behavior keeps her from accomplishing good deeds.)
His hand writing is well.
Why is it correct? Because here the appreciation has been made about someone’s handwriting quality not how he writes.
The sentence is not grammatically correct. The word handwriting is a noun. Use the adjective good to describe handwriting.
His handwriting is good.
Thanks for the pop quiz…really made the concept more obvious.
This show won’t end well.
I think this is correct because well is an adverb to end.
Am I correct?
Yes, you are correct: well is an adverb modifying the verb end.
Can one say either of these and be correct:
1) it stormed really well yesterday.
2) it stormed really good yesterday.
Although writing “It stormed really well yesterday” could be considered grammatically correct, the adverb well feels awkward when used with the verb stormed. You might consider using a different adverb, for example:
It stormed fiercely yesterday.
It stormed all day yesterday.
It stormed intensely yesterday.
Please let me know which of the following is correct, and why.
“Staff can be advised about how well or best to approach their managers.”
Although writing “how well to approach their managers” could be considered grammatically correct, the sentence is awkward. We recommend writing something to the effect of
Staff will be advised how best to approach their managers.
Would it be correct to remember, one “does” good and one “is” well? I have always wondered about the use of these two words, my daughter offered this example to me as a quick reference.
One can also be good and do well. Examples:
The baby was really good in the car on our trip.
She did well on her exam.
I found this in a book: He forgot to draw the curtains last night, so it is well that his room doesn’t face east. Doesn’t feel right to me. Yet I’m not sure like I usually am. What do you think?
We can understand how this use of well as an adjective can sound a little odd, especially to an American ear. We expanded on this acceptable use (“fitting or gratifying”) in our September 20, 2017, article How Are You—Good, Well, or Fine?
What should we say if someone asks, “How’s school going?
The following are possible replies:
It’s going well.
It’s not going well.
It’s going fine.
Also see How Are You—Good, Well, or Fine?
Is saying, “I couldn’t be more well,” grammatically correct?
Whether it is grammatically correct is debatable; however, such wording is rarely used. We more commonly hear “I couldn’t be better.” We would enjoy hearing people state this in a positive form: “I am as well as can be.”
What about when someone is using one of these in a phrase of encouragement? My daughter is 4, I’m from PA and have commonly heard the phrase “you’re doing so well” as a form of encouragement. Now that I’ve moved to MA I notice my daughter seems to be to “you’re doing so good!” That doesn’t sound grammatically correct and I want to teach her the proper way to say it. But what IS the proper way to say it?
Use the adverb well to describe the verb doing. Also please see our post How Are You—Good, Well, or Fine?, which provides more discussion and helpful examples.
What about the term “well intentioned” (or is it “well-intentioned”)? The intent is generally good, not well. Should the correct term then be good intentioned?
In American English we use well-intentioned as an idiomatic phrase that applies the noun “intention” as a verb otherwise properly expressed as “intend” (with the participial form “intended”). Dictionaries agree that it is hyphenated.
I found a mistake in your explanation.
“I feel well.
Well is an adjective describing I.”
My correction:
“Well” is an adverb describing how you feel (your physical health condition). Adverbs describe verbs. manner of action. In this case it is not an exception of this rule.
In order for well to be regarded as an adverb with feel, we need to be feeling with our sense of touch. Our post How Are You—Good, Well, or Fine? says, “However, well can also serve as an adjective: “in good health; sound in body and mind” (He is a well man because of his exercise); “pleasing or good” (All is well with her); “fitting or gratifying” (I think it’s all the more well he didn’t join the debate); “in a satisfactory position; well-off” (He is well as he is).”
One of the dictionary definitions of the word well is an adjective meaning “in good health,” especially in reference to people when free of illness or injury.
Which of these sentences is correct?
Fresh tomatoes make the sauce taste well.
or
Fresh tomatoes make the sauce taste good.
“Taste” in this context is a linking verb that would take a predicate adjective. Since you are not using the verb taste actively, use the adjective good to describe the noun tomatoes.
Please settle a debate. Which sentence is grammatically correct?
a. He didn’t play as good as he usually does.
b. He didn’t play as well as he usually does.
As the post states, “Well is an adverb describing how the job was performed.” Use the adverb well to describe the verb play.