Good or well? What's the rule?

[alexbrasile]

The holiday did me a lot of ____.
good
well

 

[teechar]

Only "good" is correct in the above.

 

[GoesStation]

The rule is that good is an adjective and well is an adverb. It's usually not difficult to see what well modifies, but I can see that it did me a lot of good is hard to parse.

 

[emsr2d2]

"Good" is also a noun.

 

[Skrej]

The rule is that good is an adjective and well is an adverb.

Although the above is true, I'd imagine that misusing 'good' as an adverb is probably one of the most common mistakes native speakers make. Not that that makes it any more acceptable.

You'll probably hear more people say "He did good" than you will the correct version of "He did well."

Every once in a while I catch myself misusing it. Most recently, not two days after I explained the rule above to my class.

 

[GoesStation]

While good is often used as an adverb (despite the best efforts of English teachers), well can't function as an adjective.

 

[teechar]

While good is often used as an adverb (despite the best efforts of English teachers), well can't function as an adjective.

It can.
I'm not well today.
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/well

 

[GoesStation]

I haven't been very accurate in my grammatical pronouncements here lately. :-(

 

[teechar]

A bad hair day. :silly:
Those are rare for you, GoesStation. ;-)

 

[Rover_KE]

If you lived in the UK, GS, you could get checked out at a well man clinic.

 

[GoesStation]

If you lived in the UK, GS, you could get checked out at a well man clinic.

The horror! I know these programs mean well, and I'm sure they help lots of people, but the thought of attending a well man clinic is enough to make me ill.

You may be aware that Americans give a remarkable level of authority over their health care to their employers. Mine instituted a "wellness program" which includes a mandatory checkup - at their expense - with a doctor they selected. She's a very nice, relaxed, communicative doctor, but my blood boils at being compelled to see her.

 

[Raymott]

Slightly off topic: Doesn't your employer have to pay for your health insurance? That's the most likely reason they'd spend money on assuring that you remain well. Perhaps you could offer to pay for any breakdowns at your own expense.

 

[GoesStation]

Slightly off topic: Doesn't your employer have to pay for your health insurance? That's the most likely reason they'd spend money on assuring that you remain well.

I'm not sure whether my employer is structured such that they have to provide health insurance under the current law. They do, regardless, though employees pay a significant part of the cost. Technically speaking my employer self-insures, with a "stop-loss" policy to cover them in case an employee incurs catastrophic expenses.

So yes, American employers above a certain size have a direct financial interest in keeping their employees healthy. Smaller companies often provide partially-paid health insurance as a benefit, too, but they're not compelled to. This is all in a state of flux with the change in government, but the new administration is already finding it's an absurdly complicated system which will not be politically easy to change.