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to find that it is nonstandard to respond “Good” or “I’m doing good.”

The issue involved here is choosing an adverb instead of an adjective. Here

are three important things you should know about adverbs.

a. Adverbs describe verbs, adverbs, and adjectives.

b. The English language regularly forms adverbs by adding –ly to adjectives

(although that’s not the only form in which adverbs appear).

c. We use them to answer the questions how, when, where, why, and

to what extent.

In the sentences below, the adverbs are in italics.

I played noisily during the contest. I took the guitar and smashed it slowly

 into the amp. The amp crashed loudly into the curtain. The curtain quietly

ripped and fell softly on my head. I cried unhappily.

Notice in the sentences that all the adverbs answer the question “how” about

the verbs: how the individual “played”—“noisily,” how the guitar “smashed”

— “slowly,” how the amp “crashed” —“loudly,” how the curtain “ripped”

— “quietly,” how the curtain “fell” —“softly,” and how the individual “cried”

— “unhappily.”

These examples lead us to a rule.

are described with adverbs. In such cases, writers rarely accidentally use an adjective

instead of an adverb. One instance is the nonstandard sentence we started with.

Nonstandard

How am I doing? I am doing good.

Standard

How am I doing? I am doing well.

Because the word “doing” is an action verb, we use the adverb “well,”

answering how the individual is doing, instead of using the adjective “good.”

There are appropriate circumstances when it appears as if an adjective is

being used with another kind of verb, a state-of-being verb.

verbs, such as “am doing well.”)

became, appear, grow, keep, remain, seem, stay, loom, prove, turn

sound, smell, look, feel, taste (These five can also be action verbs.)

When a state-of-being verb is involved, writers in standard written English use

an adjective instead of an adverb. The adjective describes the noun that is usually

the subject. Therefore, an adjective, rather than an adverb, should be used in

such cases. Perhaps you’ve said the following nonstandard sentence.

Nonstandard

I feel badly.

Standard

I feel bad.

Examine these examples, comparing the use of adjectives and adverbs:

Standard Sentences

The quick fox jumped over the dogs.
(This sentence uses the adjective “quick,” but it does not concern itself with

a state-of-being verb; this is not usually problematic.)

The fox jumped quickly over the dogs.
(The adverb “quickly” is describing how the fox “jumped”—the verb.)

The fox was quick.
(“Quick” is an adjective that is used to describe the subject of the sentence,

not the state-of-being verb “was”—in this case, a form of the verb to

be.)

The question of whether to use an adjective or an adverb is primary in

the consideration of deciding whether to use the adverb well or the adjective good

in any given situation.

In most cases, when well is used as an adverb, it is used to describe verbs. It

does not follow a state-of-being verb. (Please note that to do and to go are not state-of-

being verbs.)

Well describes ordinary verbs.

I sing good well, I

teach good well, and I play the

guitar good well.

Well does not describe state-of-being verbs.

I smell well good. My voice

sounds well good. My shoes

feel well good.

 With this tie, I

look well good.

An exception to these is that well can be an adjective describing health:

“After being ill for a week, I finally feel well.”

Returning to the examples above with “well” and “good” substituted for

“quickly” and “quick” will enable us to see where an adjective is required and where

an adverb is the correct option.

Standard Sentences

The good fox jumped over the dogs.
(This sentence uses the adjective “good,” but it does not concern itself with a

state-of-being verb; this is not usually problematic.)

The fox jumped well.
(The adverb “well” is describing the verb “jumped.”)

The fox was good.
(“Good” is an adjective that is used to describe the subject of the sentence,

not the state-of-being verb—in this case, a form of the verb to be.)

The same rules apply when you’re trying to decide between bad and badly.

Here are some standard sentences to study in that regard.

Standard Sentences

On a cold day, a bowl of hot soup never tastes bad.
(The adjective “bad” is describing the noun “soup,” not the state-of-being

verb “tastes.”)

At the end of the game, the hometown crowd felt bad for the losing pitcher.
(The adjective “bad” is describing the noun “crowd,” not the state-of-being

verb “felt.”)

It was something of a tragedy, but the pitcher played badly in that game.
(The adverb “badly” is describing the verb “played,” not the noun “pitcher.”)