Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 15
Like Tree34Likes

Thread: "well" or "good"

  1. #1
    Pierce111 is offline Junior Member
    • Member Info
      • Member Type:
      • Other
      • Native Language:
      • Polish
      • Home Country:
      • Poland
      • Current Location:
      • Poland
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Posts
    58

    Default "well" or "good"

    When somebody ask me about my current situation, for instance:
    "How is your life going?"
    which answer is correct
    1) It is good.
    2) It is well.
    ?

  2. #2
    Rover_KE is offline Moderator
    • Member Info
      • Member Type:
      • Retired English Teacher
      • Native Language:
      • English
      • Home Country:
      • England
      • Current Location:
      • England
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Posts
    9,219

    Default Re: "well" or "good"

    'It is good.'

    'It is going well.'

  3. #3
    BobK's Avatar
    BobK is offline Harmless drudge
    • Member Info
      • Member Type:
      • English Teacher
      • Native Language:
      • English
      • Home Country:
      • UK
      • Current Location:
      • UK
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Posts
    14,909

    Default Re: "well" or "good"

    But the question is unlikely. It reminds me of when a Spanish speaker asked me 'Que tal la vida?' I knew what each word meant; but in Br Eng one doesn't say it that way. 'How are things' or 'How are things going' is more normal. There are many other less formal variations - but they don't* mention 'life'.

    b

    PS *Duh. 'How's life' is quite common.
    anhnha, 5jj, Odessa Dawn and 1 others like this.

  4. #4
    Odessa Dawn's Avatar
    Odessa Dawn is online now Senior Member
    • Member Info
      • Member Type:
      • Student or Learner
      • Native Language:
      • Arabic
      • Home Country:
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Current Location:
      • Saudi Arabia
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Posts
    765

    Default Re: "well" or "good"



    I remember one day I came across "How was thing?" I don’t know if it is natural in English? Sorry for not being able to supply you context, but I am sure it was written in that way.


  5. #5
    Rover_KE is offline Moderator
    • Member Info
      • Member Type:
      • Retired English Teacher
      • Native Language:
      • English
      • Home Country:
      • England
      • Current Location:
      • England
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Posts
    9,219

    Default Re: "well" or "good"

    'How was thing?' is not a question I have ever heard before.

    Rover
    Odessa Dawn and 5jj like this.

  6. #6
    5jj's Avatar
    5jj
    5jj is offline Moderator
    • Member Info
      • Member Type:
      • Retired English Teacher
      • Native Language:
      • British English
      • Home Country:
      • England
      • Current Location:
      • Czech Republic
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    24,029

    Default Re: "well" or "good"

    Quote Originally Posted by Rover_KE View Post
    'How was thing?' is not a question I have ever heard before.
    If I heard it, I would know that the speaker was not a native speaker of English.

    (Unless my daughter were asking me about my recent meeting with the man who ran off with my wife. But then it would be written: "How was Thing?", 'Thing' being the name we have given this gentleman.)
    Grumpy, Rover_KE, Route21 and 1 others like this.
    Context is important. Please provide enough for us to be able to deal effectively with your question.
    Your thread title should include all or part of the word/phrase being discussed.
    If you just want to know the meaning of a word, try OneLook Dictionary Search first.


  7. #7
    Tdol is offline Editor, UsingEnglish.com
    • Member Info
      • Member Type:
      • English Teacher
      • Native Language:
      • British English
      • Home Country:
      • UK
      • Current Location:
      • Philippines
    Join Date
    Nov 2002
    Posts
    38,633

    Default Re: "well" or "good"

    Quote Originally Posted by Odessa Dawn View Post


    I remember one day I came across "How was thing?" I don’t know if it is natural in English? Sorry for not being able to supply you context, but I am sure it was written in that way.

    How are things? is natural.
    Odessa Dawn and Barb_D like this.

  8. #8
    stanislaw.masny is offline VIP Member
    • Member Info
      • Member Type:
      • Student or Learner
      • Native Language:
      • Polish
      • Home Country:
      • Poland
      • Current Location:
      • Poland
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Posts
    23,153

    Default Re: "well" or "good"

    Quote Originally Posted by 5jj View Post
    If I heard it, I would know that the speaker was not a native speaker of English.

    (Unless my daughter were asking me about my recent meeting with the man who ran off with my wife. But then it would be written: "How was Thing?", 'Thing' being the name we have given this gentleman.)
    If I may cut in: why did you use 'were"?
    Last edited by stanislaw.masny; 28-Feb-2013 at 19:36.
    Odessa Dawn likes this.

  9. #9
    5jj's Avatar
    5jj
    5jj is offline Moderator
    • Member Info
      • Member Type:
      • Retired English Teacher
      • Native Language:
      • British English
      • Home Country:
      • England
      • Current Location:
      • Czech Republic
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    24,029

    Default Re: "well" or "good"

    Quote Originally Posted by stanislaw.masny View Post
    If I may cut in: why do you used 'were"?
    It's my age. I still use the subjunctive.

    Many native speakers of BrE would use 'was' there.
    Context is important. Please provide enough for us to be able to deal effectively with your question.
    Your thread title should include all or part of the word/phrase being discussed.
    If you just want to know the meaning of a word, try OneLook Dictionary Search first.


  10. #10
    Barb_D's Avatar
    Barb_D is offline Moderator
    • Member Info
      • Member Type:
      • Other
      • Native Language:
      • American English
      • Home Country:
      • United States
      • Current Location:
      • United States
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    14,286

    Default Re: "well" or "good"

    Quote Originally Posted by 5jj View Post
    It's my age. I still use the subjunctive.

    Many native speakers of BrE would use 'was' there.
    Many Americans -- you know, those lawless idiots who insist on perverting the language away from the way British people (you know, the people who invented it) -- would also use the subjunctive. Language changes more slowly here.
    I'm not a teacher, but I write for a living. Please don't ask me about 2nd conditionals, but I'm a safe bet for what reads well in (American) English.

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Similar Threads

  1. Replies: 4
    Last Post: 17-Sep-2012, 04:23
  2. Replies: 1
    Last Post: 02-Jul-2012, 19:53
  3. [Vocabulary] The pronunciation of the last letter D "Mind", "God", "Good".....
    By Williamyh in forum Pronunciation and Phonetics
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 19-May-2010, 10:17
  4. Replies: 2
    Last Post: 08-Sep-2008, 08:27
  5. confusing words "expressed" or "express" and "named" or"names"
    By Dawood Usmani in forum Ask a Teacher
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 26-Oct-2007, 19:33

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Hotchalk

Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.1