Usage Note
Large numbers of people have difficulty with the modifiersgoodandwell.
Part of the problem is thatgoodalways is an adjective, whereaswellcan function
as either an adjective or an adverb. In nonstandard usagegoodappears as both an
adjective and an adverb, andwellappears only in limited ways. The example sen-
tences that follow illustrate the most common nonstandard usage ofgood:
- ?I did good on the test.
- ?You played good.
Standard usage is quite clear on this point—wellis strongly preferred in
these instances, as in sentences 50a and 51a:
50a. I did well on the test.
51a. You played well.Another situation arises with the verbfeel.When describing how they are
feeling, most people say that they feel good, as in sentence 52:
- I feel good.
However, formal standard usage differentiates betweenI feel goodandI feel
well.Wellnearly always refers to one’s state of health; only in the most unusual
circumstances wouldfeelappear as a regular verb signifying that one has a
sense of touch that is working properly. Thus,I feel wellindicates that one is
healthy. More to the point, it indicates that, after some particular illness or dis-
ease, one has regained previous health. A person recovered from the flu, for ex-
ample, might sayI feel well. I feel good,on the other hand, can refer to one’s
general state of well-being, as in the famous James Brown song,I Feel Good
(Like I Knew That I Would).This state of well-being can be either physiological
or psychological or both. With respect to one’s health, however,I feel good
does not mean, in formal standard usage, that one has regained previous health;
it means that one is feeling better at the moment of the utterance than in the past
but that the illness or disease is still present. On this account, one might say, af-
ter a few days in bed with the flu,I feel good today,meaning that one feels
relatively better than the day before.
Equally problematic is the situation associated with the question,How are
you today?If one responds in a way that signifies general well-being, then the
TRADITIONAL GRAMMAR 81