Good Vs Well - Your Native English Teacher's Thought of the Day

Your Native English Teacher's thought of the day


My boyfriend is quick to point out any slips I make off the path of good grammar. I'm familiar with the rules, but childhood habits die hard and sometimes I hear myself saying 'good' when I should be using 'well.'

I'm sure I'm not alone. The misuse of 'good' and 'well' seems to have become commonplace in English, among native and non-native speakers alike. The confusion stems from the similarity in meanings, as well as the confusion associated with adjectives and adverbs in general.


Good is an adjective. Adjectives modify nouns.

This is a good bank.

You speak good English.

Have a good night.

Good can be used with copular verbs (that is, verbs which express a state of being, such as to be, to seem, and to appear), but it is still an adjective modifying a noun, not a verb.

This casino is good.

Their ideas are good.

Your English is good.




Well is an adverb, which means that it modifies verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.

Did the movie do well at the box office?

It was a well-defined idea.

You speak English well.

Well can be used as an adjective to mean "in good health."

You look well.

I don't feel well.


Take a moment to think of what the word is modifying. If it's a verb, you'd do well to use well; otherwise, the good choice is good.