Its like fingernails on a blackboard when someone is asked: “How are you?” and the person replies: “I’m doing good” instead of I’m doing well.
I feel well and I feel good is fine. I’m doing badly is okay but I’m doing goodly is laughable as well as incorrect.
“Well” IMHO would suggest a degree of health and good would suggest an emotional or physical condition?
In short, would you be kind enough to explain the difference between the two words and how to remember which word to use when?
The word “well” does not exist in Major League Baseball. He’s hittin’ good. He’s pitchin’ good. He’s juicin’ good.
In modern American usage these are being used interchangeably. You may want to look at this:
usage
Note “I’m doing good” and “I feel good” are identical responses to “How are you?”
When you say “I’m doing good,” good is used as an adverb. From Webster’s Online:
In most other cases, good is only used as an adjective.
Does that help at all?
Perhaps its a regional thing around here, but in Black English “good” does not exist in the same way that you say it doesn’t in MLB. In real life I have to deal with a lot of black folk, and say “good” when I ordinarily would say “well”. When in Rome…
Damn, I’ve gotten an A on every English paper I’ve ever written, but that’s a tough one.
…hmmmmm…
I don’t have an answer except for this: The English language has grown very informal, and it changes over time… usually toward more informality. For example: I’d bet my mortgage that “nite” will be an acceptable alternative spelling of “night” within my lifetime. As far as “good” and “well”, ummm, well, the only advice I can offer is to go with what ‘sounds right’.
But that ain’t much help to you, or any of y’all that might be heading this, is it?
Hell, don’t listen to me. I may have got all A’s in English, but I never did figure out when to use “whom”.
And good is used as an adverb with “I feel good”. It isn’t me that is good, but my feeling that is good.
So what you are all saying is that the sentences:
I’m doing good.
I hit the ball real good.
are acceptable in the English language now?
The context here is informality. When someone asks “How are you?” I wouldn’t care that the way I’d use the English language in reply isn’t what would be considered optimal for writing a philosophical essay. And there are good reasons for using the language in an informal manner orally. When unsure of how literate other people around you are, communicate using simple language that won’t likely be misinterpreted.
I’d say #1 is perfectly acceptable English usage now. In fact I’d be more likely if asked “How are you?” to respond “I’m doing good” than “I’m doing well.” As for #2, it would be perfectly acceptable where this was the standard jargon in use. “He hit the ball real good” would be OK at a baseball game. However, “I patched the security hole in the software real good” won’t do. In that case it is “I patched the security hole in the software well” would be more appropriate.
I don’t recall exactly how it got driven home, probably some obscure English teacher in the cobwebs of my mind, but my standard response to, “how are you?” is, “I’m well!”.
Almost invariably, folks that don’t know me pause and say, “You’re well what”? I wanna slap 'em.
In this day and age of “wellness” and “unwellness” being used as terms indicating levels of sanity, why not just reply “I’m fine!”.
Hmmm…should that last sentence (question) end with a period or a question mark?
Sometimes the difference reflects your actual situation. If I say “I’m feeeling well”, that means I’m not experiencing any symptoms of illness. But if I say “I’m feeling good”, that adds an aspect of emotional wellbeing - I’m relatively happy and content, in addition to not feeling sick.
I think it was Humpty Dumpty who claimed a mastery of words. He was going to use them as he saw fit. He wasn’t going to let words dictate how he was going to use them.
You sure about that? I’d wonder if “feel” in that sentence is actually functioning as a copulative, linking “I” to “good”.
rfgdxm: *In fact I’d be more likely if asked “How are you?” to respond “I’m doing good” than “I’m doing well.” *
I wouldn’t, but that’s because the phrase “doing good” still means “involved in charitable or philanthropic work” to me. “They’re some of those do-gooders who go around doing good to the homeless.” “I want to do some good in the world.” Etc.
But I agree that in general usage, “I’m doing good” is now pretty much synonymous with “I’m doing well” or “I’m doing fine” (my preferred version).
Yeah, seems to me that “good” in I feel good isn’t an adverb, but an adjective. I’m not saying that I’m skillful at feeling, I am describing my state, I am good, I feel good. This is the opposite of I feel bad not the opposite of I feel badly.
I generally find that people who feel badly tend to look badly too.
I feel well is the opposite of I feel unwell - still not an adverb…
OTOH I seem to recall Shakespeare allowing that If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well it were done quickly."
In my continuing quest to keep people off-guard, I am apt to answer the question “How are you?” with “Worse.”
No no no no no! In this case, “feel” is just a linking verb, like “am” would be: “I am good” is the same sentence structure. Subject-linking verb - adjective.
You could also say “I feel happy,” but “I feel happily” would be wrong, because “feel” in this case needs an adjective, not an adverb. (Feel can be used with an adverb, but means something else - “I feel quickly” means that you’re quick at feeling something.)
Part of the confusion here is that “well” is normally an adverb, but can also be an adjective meaning “in a good state or health.” When someone says he’s feeling well, that’s the one he’s using - it’s an adjective. But “good” is also an adjective, and works just fine in this situation IMHO.
Well, good.
There! Diagram that sentence! 