# Grammar Q: well vs good **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 20, 2002, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-q-well-vs-good/137695 "2002-11-20T04:14:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jenner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ac8455/32.png) [@Jenner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenner)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-q-well-vs-good/137695/1 "2002-11-20T04:14:03Z")
My girlfriend and I are having a debate about which of the following sentences is proper English: 1. The photos turned out well. 2. The photos turned out good. Thanks in advance! ---
**Author:** ![Urban\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-q-well-vs-good/137695/2 "2002-11-20T04:20:57Z")
To me, (1) says the photos all appeared as intended. Nothing bad happened. (2) says the photos look good, having a quality better than average. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-q-well-vs-good/137695/3 "2002-11-20T04:24:27Z")
**Well** is an adverb, and using it to describe how the pictures turned out speaks to the developing process rather than the quality of the pictures. If that is what the examples are trying to say, then **well** is okay in this case. Perhaps the mistake is that somebody is using “the pictures turned out well” (they developed nicely or properly) to mean “the pictures look good”. Now, while that’s all very well and good, but I am pretty certain that **well** has slipped into common usage as an adjective and can probably be used in place of **good** almost anywhere but on your dissertation. ---
**Author:** ![Catalyst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@Catalyst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catalyst)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-q-well-vs-good/137695/4 "2002-11-20T04:31:54Z")
I’m not a linguist (though I think I’d like to be), but as far as I can tell it’s #1. _Well_ is an adverb, in this case modifying _turn_. _Good_, on the other hand, is an adjective. ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-q-well-vs-good/137695/5 "2002-11-20T05:03:53Z")
I think in this case, _turn out_ is a linking verb, and so should take an adjective _good_. You’d say _These photos turned out grainy_ and not _These photos turned out grainily_. However, at the same time, I’ve never heard it explicitly said that _turn out_ can be used as a linking verb, so I dunno. ---
**Author:** ![aeropl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f05b48/32.png) [@aeropl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aeropl)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-q-well-vs-good/137695/6 "2002-11-20T05:35:01Z")
So is it improper to say ‘good’ after someone asks you “How are you?” ---
**Author:** ![Motog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85e7bf/32.png) [@Motog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motog)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-q-well-vs-good/137695/7 "2002-11-20T05:44:31Z")
‘Well’ most certainly can be used as an adjective. I draw your attention to definition 3 and 6 below (from [www.m-w.com](http://www.m-w.com)): > [@](#): > > Main Entry: 5well > Function: **adjective** > **Date: before 12th century** > 1 a : PROSPEROUS, WELL-OFF b : being in satisfactory condition or circumstances > 2 : being in good standing or favor > \*\*3 : SATISFACTORY, PLEASING \*\*\ > 4 : ADVISABLE, DESIRABLE \ > 5 a : free or recovered from infirmity or disease : HEALTHY \ b : completely cured or healed \ > **6 : pleasing or satisfactory in appearance** > 7 : being a cause for thankfulness : FORTUNATE \ If, as **Attrayant** suggests, it has slipped into common usage as an adjective, it did so over 800 years ago and we might consider accepting such usage as common now. (bolding in the above quote was added by me) ---
**Author:** ![Motog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85e7bf/32.png) [@Motog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motog)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-q-well-vs-good/137695/8 "2002-11-20T06:01:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by aeropl \* > \*\*So is it improper to say ‘good’ after someone asks you “How are you?” \*\* Sorry **aeropl** , I didn’t see your post before I sent off the above missive. It is certainly ok to use ‘good’ as an adjective in such a manner. I am assuming that the unstated part of that sentence is “I feel …” or “I am…” Merriam-Websters has the following note about usage of ‘good’ at the end of its main entry: > [@](#): > > usage: An old notion that it is wrong to say “I feel good” in reference to health still occasionally appears in print. The origins of this notion, which goes back to the turn of the century, are obscure, but they seem to combine someone’s idea that good should be reserved to describe virtue and uncertainty about whether an adverb or an adjective should follow feel. Today nearly everyone agrees that both good and well can be predicate adjectives after feel. Both are used to express good health, but good may connote good spirits in addition to good health. ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-q-well-vs-good/137695/9 "2002-11-20T06:11:43Z")
Ah, I didn’t realize that _well_ is as general an adjective as **Motog** ’s cite claims. In that case, I say that either sentence in the OP is equally correct. Using _well_ in this case does sound strange to me, but that’s my problem. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-q-well-vs-good/137695/10 "2002-11-20T07:55:31Z")
All’s good that ends well.