Good or Well?

After a conversation with a friend yesterday, I was reminded of the confusion that exists with when to use "good" and when to use "well." I'm borrowing a page from my sister's book and giving the next commonly confused words post as a dialogue.

Imagine a conversation in an office hallway.

Employee#1: Hi. How are you?

Employee #2: I'm doing well. I just heard good news: we are all getting a raise!

Employee #1: Does that mean that our product has been well-received?

Employee #2 Yes it does, and it is a good thing too.

Employee #1: And why is that?

Employee #2: The head of the company said that if sales didn't go well, we might be looking at a pay decrease instead of a pay increase.

Employee #1: That is good news!


So, what can we tell from this (besides that it is good to get a raise!)?

Good is an adjective, used to describe nouns (like "news" and "thing").

Well is an adverb, used to describe verbs or actions (like the act of receiving or the act of going).

When you are discussing your health, we also use well. ("I am well.")

This last one is what trips a lot of people up. We think that when we say "I'm good" we're describing ourselves. What we are actually describing is our state of health, which requires us to use well. Here's a handy trick: we go to the doctor's office for wellness visits. Just the same when someone says, "Hi, how are you?" we are being asked about our health, so we should say "I'm well" (that is, healthy).

Unless, of course, you didn't just get a raise. Then feel free to say "I'm miserable."