To remember the distinction between “well” and “good,” I think of a scene from the sitcom 30 Rock. Tracy Jordan (portrayed by actor Tracy Morgan) asks someone how they’re doing, and the person says, “I’m doing good.” Jordan responds:
He was right. To explain this in the simplest terms, the two words are different parts of speech. “Good” is an adjective, meaning it modifies nouns, and “well” is an adverb that modifies verbs and adjectives. But of course there are exceptions, namely that “well” can also be an adjective, especially referring to health. All of the following examples are grammatically correct but demonstrate different meanings:
- “She smells good” suggests that she has a pleasant scent.
- “She smells well” implies that she has a strong sense of smell.
- “He feels well” implies that he is in good health.
Linking verbs are a common source of confusion for using “well” and “good.” The verbs “feels,” “seems,” “looks,” and “is” are called linking verbs because they don’t show action as most verbs do, which might be why the adverb “well” and the adjective “good” are confusing in context.
In the example from 30 Rock, “I’m doing good” is incorrect because “good” is an adjective. The adverb “well” is technically correct here because it modifies the verb “doing.” Another trick to remembering the difference is to substitute the word “quick,” which is an adjective. If you find the adverb “quickly” sounds better in the same context, the sentence needs the adverb “well.”
- She walked quickly. She walked well.
- He is a quick thinker. He is a good thinker.
- I am quickly doing my homework. I am doing my homework well.
So, was James Brown grammatically incorrect when he sang, “I feel good”? Grammarians can argue “I feel well” is more accurate in a health context, but it doesn’t have quite the same ring to it. “I feel good” is fine for casual speech (and legendary songs).
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