Bad Versus Badly

I just wanted to say that I think Amy has hit the nail on the head as to the actual source of confusion here. In school we put so much effort into distinguishing 'good' from 'well' as adjective and adverb, respectively, that when we say something like 'i don't feel well,' we don't realize that this is a completely different well, an adjective meaning 'healthy.' Then people assume, by extension, that the opposite of this 'well' must be 'badly,' when in fact it is 'unwell.' When asked how I am, I've always responded 'good,' and I must admit, I've taken a lot of pleasure in setting straight the few people who've thought it fit to 'correct' my usage.

I think the word "well" is what tends to confuse people to most on this whole issue. They try to apply how that word is used to tell them whether they should be saying "I feel bad/badly" and "You look good/well". What I don't think most people realize is that "well" is both an adverb (i.e. "satisfactorily") and an adjective (i.e. "healthy") can thus be correct in multiple scenarios, whereas "bad" is an adjective, while "badly" is an adverb. When someoone says a person is or looks "well", that means healthy. When someone does something "well", that means "satisfactorily".
BTW, "well" is a fascinating word in that it can also be a noun, verb, and interjection. If you count we'll, it's also a contraction!

Isn't it as simple as saying that feel is most commonly used as a linking verb, and the rule is that a predicate adjective follows a linking verb; therefore, bad is the correct usage?

How about providing a list of words and phrases that are so commonly used incorrectly, that to use them in the correct manner (or pronounce them correctly)would cause one to appear to be wrong?

THe company is or are. It's one company, but there are many people in the company.
My parents are. two people or one set of parents?

Finally,an answer i have been long awaiting! Thanks for your in put as i thought using the word badly after i feel sounded strangly ; ) LOL

Is this sentence correct:
"i feel SO VERY BADLY"

So badly, can also mean something like [very much] as in. If you need that [so bad/badly], why don't you just go to the store and buy it.
The meaning then, is the opposite. Is this, then a "regionalism of Wisconsin"?

I'm trying to translate it into another language Portuguese) and everyone corrects me to the opposite meaning: bad thing. (tal malo-Spanish/ tão malo-Portuguese.
How would you reword it, so the translator will give the correct answer?

No, you are absolutely wrong in the case of feeling "badly". The words sad, mad, happy, etc., define an emotion. It is not a feeling in the sense of "touch". It does not signify your ability to feel. It is appropriate to say I feel sad, I feel mad, I feel happy, etc. But, "bad" is NOT an “emotion”. You cannot feel badness? And, you're not a bad girl or bad boy. In the case of "bad", it is understood you are feeling “badly” for someone or about a situation. The correct phraseology IS “I feel badly” (for you); “I feel badly” (about your circumstances).

Hi, I have had a lingering question regarding something similar to the topic of this article. Which is correct, "That was me," or, "That was I"? The verb "to be" is a linking verb, so it seems that the latter would be correct. In addition, the phrase "Who is who" pops up a lot (whether it is correct or not I do not know). This phrase would suggest both the subject and the object (if that is what they're called in that instance) take on the subjective form. Thanks

message to lady who had bad image in our company

Great explanation and you're absolutely correct.

And, as a side note, the same people who say "I feel badly" are usually the same people who say "an historic". They're trying hard to be grammatically correct without truly understanding the grammar principles. Maybe that'll be a subject for another blog!

I'm glad you had this article. I teach Middle School english and this came up on a test, "she felt badly" and I puzzled over this for a bit. Your comments make perfect sense!

i think this website is very useful

Hearing people say "I feel badly" instead of "I feel bad" has long been one of my pet peeves and in my opinion always makes them appear ignorant or pretentious. You can only feel badly with your fingers! An easy way to remember this is that you wouldn't say "I feel goodly" so don't say "I feel badly". Thank you for helping clear this up! How about sending your explanation to every commentator on TV!!!

Do i say "I need it pretty badly?"

also, do i say "I could use it pretty bad" or "pretty badly."

I recently found this podcast, so I'm desperately trying to catch up. You are answering all my questions that I felt too dumb to ask. Thanks!

Would you be so kind as to address bad vs poor? I have bad spelling or I have poor spelling.

Thanks grammer girl

Apologies for intruding, but in my search for some vocabulary clarification, I seem to have stumbled upon a gold mine. I'm desperately trying to understand, logically, in what context one must use the term 'sport' as against the term 'sports'. They're used synonymously, but there is a distinct difference, i.e., "I'm working on the use of sport for development, which envisages empowerment through sports." I should be most grateful for feedback. Thanks.

you suck grammmer girl!
this was crapy!
get a life

See my defense of you @
http://metaphorical.wordpress.com/2007/01/28/i-feel-badly-about-some-rules-of-grammar/

Pardon the quip at the beginning about your tone. I think your conversationalist and casual tone works well for what you are trying to accomplish.

I remember a few years ago, someone--I think it was Ms. Manners--was recalling a friend canceling an appointment, saying it was because she "was feeling badly."

Ms.M's response (of course suppressed, but wonderfully imagined): "I am sorry to hear that. Let me know when you're feeling goodly"

Anyone want to comment on the word hopefully? Hopefully the bus arrives on time today. As opposed to: I hope the bus arrives on time today.

How many people is youins?

Good point! I recently did a show about how easy it is to misplace modifiers like "only."



http://grammar.qdnow.com/2007/05/15/misplaced-modifiers.aspx

I have always thought that the word "reason" stands by itself (although I have not found an official view about this issue). I think "the reason why" is just as incorrect (and redundant) as "the reason is because...," which I often hear.

Examples of correct (in my opinion!) ways to phrase this are:

-- The reason he is happy is that he won the game.

-- He is happy because he won the game.

-- Why is he happy? Because he won the game.

In your excellent article about "bad vs. badly," you write "Fowler's Modern English Usage notes that it's only appropriate to use bad instead of badly after the verb feel (1)." One of the grammatical nits which I always pick is the placement of the modifier "only." In your sentence quoted above, I contend that "only" should appear just before "after the verb feel (1)" rather than before "appropriate." It is NOT "only" "appropriate" to use "bad" in such a circumstance; it is also precise, careful, elegant (IMHO), etc. "Only" is a limiting modifier, and in your sentence the intent is to limit the sort of circumstances in which "bad" should be used; you are not intending to limit the characteristics of such usage.

I think the problem with your reasoning is that "I feel well" is grammatically incorrect. As grammar girl says of "badly", feeling well would connote that you are good at feeling. "I am well" is appropriate, however you can't say you feel well.

I apologize. It's a glitch in the system, and my GoDaddy contact promises me they are working on it.

Please include a true podcast description (rather than an advertisement) in your episode description message. Without an accurate description, I am unable to tell whether I have heard the episode or not!

We don't sell Grammar Girl t-shirts yet, but you can get an aardvark t-shirt at the Cafe Press store: http://www.cafepress.com/grammargirl




We plan to in the future. If you sign up for the e-mail newsletter, you'll be notified when they are available. https://app.e2ma.net/app/view:Join/signupId:18647

Hi!

Do you sell a t-shirt? You should for all of us proud Grammar Girls out here!

I covered this in my new audiobook!



"Many people say they are nauseous when their stomach is queasy. Using 'nauseous' in that way sometimes makes other people nauseated because the sticklers stick with the rule that 'nauseous' means to induce nausea, whereas 'nauseated' means you feel sick. So although only the most irritating people will judge you on your grammar when you're describing how sick you feel, it's best to stick with 'nauseated' when you're well enough to care about word choice."

Thanks to everyone who posted your thoughts about feeling badly and doing well. I always thought of myself as a person who uses our language correctly, but I say these particular phrases incorrectly way too often.
I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on the phrase, "I feel nauseous."

You're right, I am interested in descriptive grammar. But I don't think that precludes talking about the rules of standard English. I think all English speakers can benefit from learning standard English. It's the definition of "standard English" that we disagree on.



I think the only sensible definition of standard English is "English as it is used by most good writers of English." A good guide to this kind of English is Merriam-Webster's Concise Dictionary of English Usage. That's where I got the examples from. Surely most snails on the street who want to participate in society and move up in their careers could do worse than follow the examples of good writers of English.



To come back to "feel bad/feel badly": there is no reason to suppose that because variation exists, one variant must be wrong and the other right. Both variants are used. Some people don't like one of the variants, and other people don't like the other variant. Preference seems to be split. But just because you don't like something is no reason to decide that it's wrong.

I'm wondering how a usage can be acceptable and yet ungrammatical. If the rules of grammar don't describe normal English, what good are they?

Let's assume that aardvark prefers prescriptive grammar. Such grammar, according to
Let's assume that James Thurber, E.L. Doctorow, and John prefer descriptive grammar. According to Oxford English Grammar (p.25), "Descriptive grammars generally describe the standard variety, though some may occasionally refer to different practices in non-standard varieties."

Let's assume that Squiggly is our therapist. Squiggly would say that this is an inexact science, but that most snails on the street, who want to participate in society and move up in their careers, need the rules of prescriptive grammar, rules that snails can hang their hats on.

As my Grammar Girl once told me, as she was putting the adage "add shine to your image" on her new audio book, "The words you should use depend on the goals you want to achieve and the image you want to project."

Shine on, aardvark.

aardvark,

I'm wondering how a usage can be acceptable and yet ungrammatical. If the rules of grammar don't describe normal English, what good are they?

Not everyone agrees with you that "feel badly" is wrong. It sounds fine to me, Thurber, and Doctorow. Also:
http://www.bartleby.com/68/80/2480.html
"Whatever line you take—to use both, differentiating on some semantic basis or other, to use only feel bad and proscribe feel badly, or to follow some other line—you will find some Standard users who agree with you and others who do not."

Dear John,

I feel bad about answering this question one month late. As an aardvark, I must have been in the dark or foraging for my daily ration of ants when this question came to me.

Your examples, E.L. Doctorow and James Thurber, are writers who know (or knew) Standard English grammar. As with Twain, who understood grammar so well that he could then pervert it to create 6-7 accurate southern dialects in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, those with fame can “bend the rules.”

For mere mortals (and aardvarks and snails), Standard English grammar prevails.

Warriner’s English Grammar and Composition (p.164) states, “ The common expression feel badly, however, has through usage, become acceptable English, although ungrammatical. Used with other verbs of sense, badly is not yet standard. Do not say smell badly taste badly, etc.”

This is a dialect difference. The "aks" pronunciation covers almost half the US and the UK.

http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=19991216

Loved you on the recent Oprah. I am not at all prejudice but I was wondering why most african americans say ax me instead of ask me.

http://www.bartleby.com/61/21/S0422100.html

since
CONJUNCTION:
1. During the period subsequent to the time when: He hasn't been home since he graduated. 2. Continuously from the time when: They have been friends ever since they were in grade school. 3. Inasmuch as; because: Since you're not interested, I won't tell you about it.

As an editor for an international company, I am very tired of having to replace "Since" with "Because". I am under the impression that "Since" implies a passage of time, and "Because" is in reference to a reason. I do not think that these terms are interchangeable, but find that “Since” is used nearly everywhere I feel that “Because” would be the correct choice. For example: “Since the software test uncovered 15 bugs, we will need to return the code to development.”
Am I correct about this, or have I been wasting my time replacing “Since” with “Because”?

"Very" is a very useless word.

If I knew how to do it I would have put x's over the second very, or a line through the word.

Please add me to your blog.

Hiking, backpacking, rafting, kayaking, swimming, pole vaulting, curling, skating, stock car racing, skiing, competitive walking, diving, scuba diving, skydiving - stop me when we have enough examples. Interestingly, we say sailing more than boating. There may be no more rhyme and reason to this than pride of lions vs gaggle of geese vs covey of partridges (and no less).

Ever since I took up a valid interest in the sport of golf, I became impelled with not only the challenge of competing against myself rather than another but also in the rules, and particularly the etiquette, of golf as well. Much like the etiquette of the English language, there is good reason for why etiquette in golf is almost as important as its rules. In fact, much of what is termed "etiquette" is actually sacred rule in the game of golf. It is a given understanding, and held closely by most who play golf ("golfers", if you must), that if you are on a golf course, in play, you will be held responsible to the rules and etiquette of the game, "or else" -- which is why I suppose I am so annoyed by what middle America has decided to term the act of playing golf as "golfing". Ewe! (as in "icky", not sheep). This bastardization is not in any handbook, rule book or any other tome of the game of golf that I know of and it aggravates me to hear it. Yuck. Golf is a game of singleness, often played in pairs or in foursomes just as tennis is played, but you don't hear anyone saying that they are "going tennising". What gives and why do I increasingly hear the phrase, "we're going golfing"? Why does my spell check not underline this word in red to inform me that I have spelled it incorrectly or that no such word exists in the English language? Please tell me that this is not correct terminology but that it is instead a slang derivation of the verb "to play golf" brought on by the laziness that language is vulnerable to in our era of mass and instant communication. I guess that when it gets right down to it, what I am most concerned about is that a bit of the elegance of the game of golf might be lost if the usage of the word itself is "McDonaldized". I am uneasy, yet prepared, to allow whatever answer you provide to assuage my frustration on this matter…'cuz that's the kind of gal I am. So tell me… what is proper, “to play golf” or ”golfing”? Thank you very much for addressing this personally annoying conundrum.

I have been stumped on this, too. It seemed to me, when someone corrected me, that the answer 'good' reflects the state of being in question - good, bad, etc. and that the adverb 'well' modifies the state of being, as in, "my physical broadcast is coming in well," or, worse yet, "I am not entirely certain how it is that dwelling in this universe as a sentient being is possible." The latter would elicit groans in a classroom, I know. Believe me. I get sidetracked with thought, so now I say, "I'm doing well."

I'm meditating but am forced down stairs by the laughter of spouse and daughter Zoey. They are laughing at YOU, Grammar Girl.
I say I can't say "Zoey, you are so unique" (she is admiring her display of six egg timers set out on her computer chair)"because Grammar Girl would not approve."
Zoey, "Why not."
Me, "Cuz there is only ONE unique Zoey."
I am feeling pretty fearless to write this replete with idiosyncraticly parsed phrases to you my Grammar Guru.
You Rock! ~Kat

We feel very badly about your only having one turkey - James Thurber 1938

I was laughing, but trying not to for some reason, feeling badly that I laughed, feeling ashamed - EL Doctorow, Loon Lake, 1979

A usage book in 1869 (Bache) actually prescribed the opposite usage: "To feel bad is to feel conscious of depravity; to feel badly is to feel sick.

Ugh. In reference to my previous post, I forgot that adding carats would turn the sentences within them to HTML and make them disappear! Here they are again:

My only small vindication is that there are sentences where it is confusing to use “while” to mean “although,” and then it isn't allowed.

I don't want to confuse you, but there is one situation where you use semicolons with coordinating conjunctions, and that's when you are writing a list of items and commas just don't do the job of separating them all.

Thanks!

I'm new to the Grammar Girl podcasts and just love them.

Have you covered "where" vs. "in which" before? In reading through your transcripts, I noticed you've used "where" in reference to things other than locations. I've always steered away from doing that, but now I'm wondering if I might have been wrong.

Below are sentences from some of your podcast transcripts. In each, I would use "in which" instead of "where." Would that be correct? Are "where" and "in which" interchangeable?

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Thanks!

Reading your response shows me the error. The college uses the following "Associates Degree" when they should be using "Associate's Degree." They fail to utilize the apostrophe before the letter "s." I noticed that Princeton University's Wordnet utilizes "Associate." Question: why the apostrophe s? I thought that would denote possession.

The Random House Unabridged Dictionary and the The American Heritage® Dictionary both list the degree as "associate's degree," and The Chicago Manual of Style refers to "bachelor's degrees." You can drop the apostrophe and "s" if you refer to them as "associate of arts" or "bachelor of arts."

The only thing that gives me pause is that all of the references in the Wikipedia article on "associate's degree" call it an "associate degree." Some of them seem to be government reports. But I trust my style guides and dictionaries more than Wikipedia or government reports!

This is driving me nuts and I hope you can clear it up. I have moved from California to Texas and work at a Community College. At the college I am being told that students receive an "Associates Degree" upon graduation. I am constantly saying "no, students receive an Associate Degree" upon graduation. There is no such thing as an "Associates Degree." Personally I think it is simply lazy grammar but would you take a moment to clear this up? Have a GREAT day and thanks!

A listener named Lynn just pointed out an exception to the quick and dirty rule: "badly" can mean unfavorably. For example, "People will speak badly about you," which obviously doesn't mean they will be slurring their words.

That seems properly descriptive to me because you would be saying your feelings don't work as they should.

"Affect" and "effect" were covered in a previous episode: http://grammar.qdnow.com/2006/10/07/affect-versus-effect.aspx

Pls. help - could you give me some help on the correct use of "affective" and "effective" please? I think I'm a fairly good writer but these two make me think, (as I tend to think and see the words I'm wanting to use) and I'm still never sure if I'm correct or not! Thanks

Is "I feel well" grammatically correct? It always bothered me.

Just a guess, but I think both are correct.

"Me" can be either a direct object (as in, "they're going to throw me to the lions") or an indirect object (as in, "Ryan threw me a book"). In the first, I am what is being thrown. In the second, I am the one to whom something else is being thrown.

In "people feel bad writing me", "me" is being used in the second sense, meaning "to me". We do this with several other verbs as well: "Tell me a story," "Give me some water," "Show me the book," "Send me a letter," "Sing me a song," and so on.

Anyway, just a guess and I welcome corrections.

I have a question. I don't understand why one would say "I feel bad about my speech topic," but wouldn't one say "I feel strong about my speech topic?" I am not sure, and sine I am probably one of the youngest people here, I am scared to say something and be incorrect.

I didn't notice the "bad vs. badly" issue in the CNN article, but wondered about the "people feel bad writing me". Should that be "writing to me"? I am a school administrative assistant who is very interested in proper grammar, and I often proofread communications for other school faculty and staff. Common usage seems to have superseded grammar rules. I'm thrilled that people are interested in what you have to say (and how you say it!)

Thank you!

Actually, "reason why" is correct, I think. In fact, the odder construction is "reason..." by itself.

For example, consider the sentence, "The reason why so many people are less productive at work is that there are so many wonderful blogs." In this sentence, "why so many people are less productive at work" is a subordinate clause, and it should, therefore, be introduced by a subordinating conjunction. "Why" can serve as a subordinating conjunction.

We got our use of "reason..." by itself from the fact that, instead of "reason why" one can also write, "reason that", and in colloquial English we often drop "that" when it serves as a subordinating conjunction. (e.g. "He says that he is hungry," and "He says he is hungry.")

But "reason why" is probably better. "Reason" certainly isn't a subordinating conjunction (it's a noun), and "why" is more precise than "that". Still, both are correct, I think.

Corrections welcome, of course.

Actually, "reason why" is correct, I think. In fact, the odder construction is "reason..." by itself.

For example, consider the sentence, "The reason why so many people are less productive at work is that there are so many wonderful blogs." In this sentence, "why so many people are less productive at work" is a subordinate clause, and it should, therefore, be introduced by a subordinating conjunction. "Why" can serve as a subordinating conjunction.

We got our use of "reason..." by itself from the fact that, instead of "reason why" one can also write, "reason that", and in colloquial English we often drop "that" when it serves as a subordinating conjunction. (e.g. "He says that he is hungry," and "He says he is hungry.")

But "reason why" is probably better. "Reason" certainly isn't a subordinating conjunction (it's a noun), and "why" is more precise than "that". Still, both are correct, I think.

Corrections welcome, of course.

When we use 'to feel' intransitively, we're usually using it to mean 'feel...to be'. Thus, "I felt unwelcome," means, "I felt that I was unwelcome." Since in modern English we almost always use an adjective, rather than an adverb, with 'to be' the most natural thing for us to do is to use adjectival forms for 'good' and 'bad'. Thus, "I feel good," and, "I feel bad."

But in older English it was not uncommon to use adverbs with 'to be'. As a survival from that time, we have "_How_ are you?" and "I am _well_." (Or in the hymn, "It is _well_ with my soul..") Many related languages would still definitely use adverbs here.

Complicating the picture is the fact that many people now think of 'well' as an adjective (originally it was strictly an adverb), meaning 'healthy' or 'in a good condition'. Although this is incorrect from the point of view of older English, it is useful, because it allows us to distinguish moral goodness from physical health. (So we can say, "Anne is good," or "Anne is well.") So even though we may only be using adjectives with the intransitive meaning of 'to feel', people may still use 'well', thinking of it as an adjective. For its opposite, they can use 'unwell'. 'Unwell' should really be an adverb, since it's really just a negated form of 'well', but in practice everyone treats it like an adjective, since we already have an adverbial opposite for 'well' in 'badly'.

Hi Grammer Girl:

I love your podcast, but I must disagree with you on "bad" v. "badly." The verb "to feel" can be used to describe an emotional state of being (as Steven wrote), or as a linking verb.

As a physician-educator, I am used to the phrase "I feel well," which really is grammatically more correct than "I feel good." Or consider the opposite "I feel poorly" (as opposed to "I feel poor" when you're broke!).

Based on the "good" v. "well" distinction, I have always thought that "I feel badly" was an exception to the adjective v. adverb rule of thumb. Does this make any sense?

Best wishes.

f I'm a psychopath, is it then grammatically correct for me to say, "I feel badly?"

I think you're mother-in-law is correct to say "you look well" if she is referring to your health rather than your attractiveness. The word 'well' can function as an adverb or an adjective. So you can look good, and you can look well. They just mean different things. I am curious to hear what grammer girl has to say.

Actually, I guess the confusion with the verb "feel" stems from its use as a transitive verb (in which case we would use an "ly" adverb form) versus its use as an intransitive verb (in which case we do not use an "ly" adverb form). Which other verbs remain the same in both transitive and intransitive forms? Do these verbs cause similar problems with adverbs?

I've never been a fan of the "correction" of 'feel badly' to 'feel bad.' The fact is, when people say "I feel badly," we know they're referring to their emotional state. It makes no sense to say, "Since feel means to touch things, feeling badly means you're having trouble touching things" because it makes no sense, or it is at least rude, to say to someone, "I know you're talking about your emotional state, but because you spoke infelicitously, you really said something about the state of your fingers."

We don't have a lot of clear, descriptive language for emotional states, so it's not surprising that we don't do a good job of talking about them. But surely the person who says "I feel badly that X" means something like "My normal ability to feel good is impaired by the fact that X." If that's true, then "badly" is indeed an adverb modifying the verb "to feel," and it's not an incorrect usage at all. This analysis may not be a model of clarity and detail, but has one overriding benefit: on it, the adverb is modifying the actual sense of the verb that the speaker is using, instead of one that has nothing to do with what they're talking about.

Actually, the REAL reason that one may not say "the reason is because" is THAT'because' begins an adverbial clause. As with Predicate Nominatives, the subject with a linking verb (is) cannot be connected to an adverbial clause;rather, it must be conncected to a noun clause. That's the Grammar Grandma's take on the situation.

Thanks for your quick reply GG. I have already tried what u have suggested, but unlike other songs i can't view the LYRICS of a podcast on my iPod.

INSTEAD in the lyrics field it shows the Description of the episode!

Isn't ANYONE else having the same problem?

Anyway, thanks again!

Errors occasionally slip through. The reason you are correct is THAT "because" is redundant when it follows "the reason is..."

Apple web page:

Viewing lyrics

If you've entered song lyrics, you can view them at any time in iTunes 5 or later. Just select the song, Get Info for the song, and then click Lyrics. If you want to view them on iPod, do this:

1. On iPod, start playing any song to which you've added lyrics.

2. Press the Center button repeatedly. The number of times depends on if you have artwork or not. Here's the order of things when you press the Center button:

Play status > Scrubber > Album Art > Lyrics/Description > Rating

If you don't have Album Art or Lyrics, then you'll just see the Rating

Play status > Scrubber > Rating -----

Oh, dear! Grammar Girl, did I just hear you say, in your "Bad vs. Badly" podcast, "The reason is... because"? Every semester I teach my students at the Mill Creek Academy that they should never use this construction; rather, they should say, "The reason is THAT." Was it a slip, GG, or did you (gasp!) not know?!

Sincerely,

Heather Richey

Keep up the great work. It's good to see that someone still cares about grammar in this ago of word manipulation and bad spelling.

Bad/badly and use relate to LINKING verbs, most of which are sensory verbs.

d sounds a lot like cutie, with lazy pronounciation. You are doing a great job. =)
Me, as a Norwegian, hate when people answer yes/no if faced with a question involving "or"(meaning they have to chose). Yes, I know this isn't grammatical- just stupid. I don't know if this is usual for other languages, but it's very irritating(I hear it less now though, since I've complained).

Hi Grammar Girl:

Another great episode from my favourite Podcast. I have a question that is not related to grammar...

The transcript of your Podcast is added in the Lyrics section that I can view in iTunes on my computer. But in my iPod when I view the lyrics section it shows something else, which I believe is the description of the podcast. Please tell me some way to view the lyrics on my pod.

Thanks.

Kudos to Grammar Girl for providing another vivid mnemonic for sagacious use of the English language! I will never feel the same about my grandfather's dimly-lit wine cellar.

I wonder if it would be easier to understand the usage of "feel bad" vs. "feel badly" if one realizes the "feel (adjective)" is actually a grammatical gestalt for an intransitive verb that means the same thing? "Feel bad" can be expressed as "regret" or "am depressed".

I think many Western languages have irregularities when it comes to compounding an adjective with certain transitive verb forms which convey cognition or perception.

Is there any perspective on this?

First, I want to congratulate Grammar Girl on being the #1 iTunes podcast!

I'm a high school sophomore that used to hate grammar (and my 510 PSAT score proved it), but I love your podcast and my teachers do too. Keep up the good work.

I also wanted to put out that I think the phrase "feel bad" is just one of those strange phrases that we say and impliclty understand the meaning but never really interpret word for word.

Could you comment on this, please? When asked, "How are you?", should one's reply be "I am fine," or "I am well"? Thank you.

Happy to hear that you'll be publishing a "Well" vs "Good" piece because... my mother-in-law is driving me crazy! If I have to hear her say that so and so, "... looks well" one more time.
Arrrgggh!

Then again, maybe I'm wrong?
Can someone "look well"?

I always thought that someone could "look good" and "feel well".

I've been told that the expression "looking well" is a familiar expression of health to many immigrant Eastern Europeans - as in "Come over hear you little boychick, you're looking so vell." (channeling my Grandmother)

Can I "look well" or "look good"... "feel well" or "feel good"?

Vell?

Regarding your note about "feel strongly", it seems to me that this is a very different use than "feel badly" since "strongly" is modifying the act of feeling, that is, it's modifying the intensity of the feeling. "Badly", on the other hand, is talking about what is being felt, not how it is being felt. So to say "feel badly" would mean that there was something wrong with your ability to feel something, whereas "feel bad" would mean you had no trouble at all feeling that you were not good. To further back this up, consider the difference between "I feel strongly" and "I feel strong". "I feel strongly" isn't even a complete sentence, since we haven't discussed what is felt strongly. On the other hand, "I feel strong" indicates that I have a general sense that I am strong.

One thing I do to assure myself is turn the question around.

-How are you today?

-I am doing well, thank you.

But I do disagree. I think that "to be" is the only verb that allows an adjective. One wouldn't say "You are dirtily!" or "That stray cat is homelessly." Thus, "I am good." is not incorrect, just a different statement from "I am well."
My understanding is that the "to be" verb is, like so many things in the English Language, a special case.