Good/Well: When to Use "Good" and When to Use "Well"

Speakers of the English language often use good when they should use well, especially in speech. The general rule regarding this common grammatical error is that you do something well, but a thing is good.

Well is an adverb — it modifies verbs. Good, on the other hand, is an adjective, describing nouns. As a rule then, we do not use good to describe verbs.

Correct: The boy behaves well when he is around his mother.
Correct: For his good behavior, he is given a good sized piece of pie.
Correct: The dog fetches well.
Correct: He is a good dog.

However, there are exceptions to this general usage rule (which is probably why this is such a tricky, typical error).

The first exception deals with verbs of sensation (relating to the senses). The word good is appropriate to use as an adverb with verbs of sensation. For example, saying, “The homemade cookies smell good,” is correct. Saying, “The homemade cookies smell well,” implies that the cookies have noses.

Exception number two is even trickier! An often difficult decision takes place when using a linking verb. Linking verbs don’t take adverbs, so we’ll want to use good and not well. For instance, we say, “I feel good,” and “He is good at pool,” because the verbs “feel” and “is” are linking verbs.

While keeping these exceptions in mind, the most important bit to remember is the general rule: you do something well, and a thing is good.