Some Important Contrasts
As you study English and become more and more proficient, you
will become aware that there are native speakers who say things
that break the rules of good grammar. The more you know about
English, the more you’ll discover that this is true. Natives in all lan-
guages speak at different levels of competency. Some speak with
great grammatical accuracy. Others are more casual or just careless
and disregard the rules for good language.
The following eight pairs of words demonstrate where natives fre-
quently make errors. By being aware of these words, you can make
a choice for yourself about how you wish to speak English: speaking
and writing accurately, or conforming to casual or careless habits.Badand BadlyIt is obvious that badis an adjective and badlyis an adverb. However,
some native English speakers use badexclusively as both an adjec-
tive and an adverb. The problem probably derives from the fact
that badseems like an adverb when it follows a linking verb (to be, to
become, to seem, to appear, etc.):That’s too bad.
She looks bad this morning.You can review linking verbs in Unit 5 on verbs.
You might hear someone say, “That little boy reads and writes bad.”
However, in this usage an adverb is required. The sentence should
be, “That little boy reads and writes badly.” Let’s look at some exam-
ples of how badand badlyshould be used correctly:125Unit 25
06 (099-132B) Units 20-25 11/3/04 1:42 PM Page 125
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