“GOOD” or “WELL”? What’s the difference?

I'm Rebecca from www.engvid.com. Today, we will learn the difference between two very

commonly confused words, and they are "good"

and "well". Now, English learners at all

levels make mistakes with these very commonly

used words because they kind of are similar

in meaning; however, grammatically, we have to

use them very differently. So, let's understand

exactly what they mean, how to use them, and then you will be able to use them more

correctly and confidently. So, let's go.

Let's start with a little quiz first to see if you can tell which word to use. So, in

the blank space, should we be saying "good"

or "well"? That's what you can tell me first.

Do we say, "She speaks _____ English"? What do we say there? And the second sentence to

think about, "She speaks English _____", okay?

Let's go back to the first one. "She speaks

_____ English." Do we say "good" or "well"?

Think about it. Pause the video for a second

if you need to. Or, "She speaks _____ English."

The next one, "She speaks English good" or

"She speaks English well"? It should be, "She

speaks English well." Okay. So now, not sure

if you got them right or wrong, but let's understand exactly why we chose those two.

So, first of all, "good". "Good" is an adjective,

okay? So, an adjective describes a noun. In

this case, "good" is describing English, which

is a noun. A noun is a person, place, thing,

or things like this, concepts like this, okay? So, it's an adjective. It describes

a noun. "Usually", "usually" comes before

the noun. "Good English". And it answers the

question, "What kind?" So, for example, "She

speaks English." What kind of English does

she speak? "Good English", alright? So,

"good" will answer that question, "What kind?"

Let's look at the other one, "well". "Well"

is an adverb. An adverb is going to describe

a verb, an action, okay? So, here, what is the - what is "well" describing? "Speaks",

the verb "speaks". "She speaks English." And

it answers the question, "How?" "How does

she speak English?" "She speaks English well."

Alright? But "well" is describing the verb

"speaks", and "good" is describing the noun "English". Got it? We're going to practice

it. It's really important that you stay with

me here, because we need to practice this

part, which we're going to do, and then, at the end, I have the exceptions. You know

English has exceptions, where the rules are

sometimes a little different, and it's important

for you to know them, so you won't be surprised,

or you won't say, "Oh, no, I didn't understand

that." I want you to look at the main exceptions

so that you'll also use those correctly. Okay?

So, stay with me so that you... You know, if you're going to watch something, watch

it all the way, get the full picture so that

you're really using it correctly and confidently.

Okay? Alright. Now, what I have here, this

"good" and "well" is also included in my online

course, Correct Your English Errors in 10 Minutes a Day. We look at common mistakes

like this and see how to correct them. Alright?

So, if you're interested, I'll give you a

link. Please check out the course. Now, based

on what you've learned, let's see if you can

tell me what's the right word to use in these

examples. "John is a blank driver." and "John

drives blank." When do we say "good" and when

do we say "well"? The first one, "John is

a good driver." Right? "Good" is the adjective

that's describing which word? Driver. What

kind of driver is he? He's a good driver. "John drives", I guess you know that this

answer is "well". Okay? And "well" tells us

about the verb. It tells us how does he drive.

He drives well. Okay? Good. Now, "good" and "well" don't just describe people as we did

in these examples. We could also describe places, right? We could say, "It's a good

hotel. It serves people well." Or, "It's a good phone. It works well." Or, "It was a

great concert." Right? "They played well." See how we can switch it around? Or, "Hey,

that's a good idea. I think it would work well." All right? Great idea, great plan,

great strategy, good strategy, good plan. Okay?

So, we can use "good" and "well" to describe

all kinds of things. So, first now, let's

practice what you've learned here. So, let's

choose between "good" and "well". Number one,

"She's a blank writer." What do we say? "She

is a good writer." Number two, "She writes

blank." "She writes well." "She's a good writer.

She writes well." Okay? From now on, I'm just

going to put "g" or "w". Okay? But you understand

that "g" stands for "good" and "w" stands for "well". You've got it.

Number three, "He is a blank singer." "He is

a good singer." "He sings blank." "He sings

blank." Wow. Okay. I know you're saying, "Oh,

but it's the same thing." I want you to get

used to it first. Okay? Just to get used to

the patterns that exist, but later we're going

to mix things up a little bit.

Number five, "They are blank managers." "They

are good managers." Number six, "They manage

well." Yes. "They manage well." Number seven,

"He coaches good or well?" "He coaches well."

"He is a good coach." "He coaches well." All

right? And number eight, "They act good or well?"

"They act well." Okay? We could have said, "They

are good actors." "They act well." All right?

Now, this is the basic information, the basic

rules you've applied, okay, for good and well

about the adjective, the adverb, and so on. Now,

let's look at some really important exceptions

which might contradict it a little bit, but you need to know them so you understand

and can use these words correctly. So, here are some important exceptions.

Number one, when we use linking verbs, we need

to use the word "good". Let me give you some

examples of linking verbs. For example, "look",

"smell", "taste", "feel". With these words,

these verbs, we need to use "good". For example, "Everything looks good."

You walk into someone's house, you say, "Hmm,

something smells good." Maybe there's a cake

in the oven, maybe something else. Okay? Or,

"The food tastes good." "The pizza tastes good."

Or, "The sun... The sunshine feels good." All

right? Or, "The jacuzzi feels good." All right?

So, when you have these kind of verbs, we use

"good" even though they are verbs, and that's why

this board is about the exceptions. All right.

The second very common verb we have is the verb,

what? "To be". So, with the verb "to be" also,

we very often use "good" to describe something.

For example, "The movie was good." "The book was

good." "How was the meeting?" "Oh, it was good."

"How was the weather when you were on holiday?"

"It was good." All right? So, very often,

with the verb "to be", we use "good". Now, sometimes, however, especially in

informal conversation nowadays, depending on

the meaning, we may use "good" or "well" when

we're asked a particular question. For example,

if you're asked, "Hey, how are you today?"

most often, people will just say, "Oh, I'm good."

So, what is "I'm good"? It means we're talking

about their mood, their emotional state, and it's

more informal, it's more casual. Okay? "I'm good."

And it just means, "I'm fine. Everything's...

Everything's good with me. My world... Everything

in my world is fine." So, they just say, "I'm

good", but that "I'm good" is more like talking

about your mood, okay? Your emotional state.

Separately, sometimes, people will say, "I'm well."

There, we're referring to the physical health.

So, if somebody has been a little bit unwell,

and you ask them, you know, "How are you today?"

and they can... They probably understand that

you're asking about their physical health, and

that person would then respond, "I'm well."

Okay? "Oh, how is John? I heard he had been

unwell. He's well now." Okay? So, when you're

talking about physical health or when people do,

they use "I'm well", and when it's the emotional

state, "I'm good". This one is more informal,

and this one is a little more formal, and proper,

and specific. All right? So, that's it. Thank you

so much for staying till the end. I know you're

a serious student. And if you'd like to check

out my course, Correct Your English Errors in 10

Minutes a Day, please do that. There's a link at

the bottom. And all the best with your English.

Step by step, you can master your English. I know

that. You will do it. You are doing it right now.