| June 2006 | Vol. 11 Issue 2 |
Imagine yourself watching an old short from The Three Stooges.
Snobby socialite: How do you feel?
Moe, Larry, or Curly: Oh, I feel good.
Snobby socialite: I feel well!
Moe: Oh yeah, who asked you?
Taking the snob’s side for a minute, when do you use “good,”
and when do you use “well”?
It’s actually quite a simple rule. Good is an adjective, so it describes
nouns only. Well is an adverb, so can describe verbs, adjectives, and
other adverbs. As Paul
Brians has observed, “You do something well, you give
something good.”
Use good when you’re giving more information about the noun: “That’s
a good dog” (modifying dog).
Use well when you’re providing more information about the verb:
“The dog behaves well” (modifying behaves).
There is, as always, an exception to the rule. Some sources note that,
in certain cases, you should still use “good” when referring
to verbs of sensation (taste, smell). For example, “How does your
hamburger taste?” If you respond with “My hamburger tastes
well,” it sounds like you might want to cook it a bit longer.
Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk.
Thanks to Branden R. Williams for suggesting this topic.
Kevin Leigh Smith, kevlsmith@purdue.edu
Do you have a Grammar Trap idea? Do you want On Target to cover
a topic that interests you? E-mail your ideas to Kevin Leigh Smith kevlsmith@purdue.edu.