Lesson 1: Troublesome Modifiers: Bad, Badly, Good, Well, Slow, Slowly, Real, Really

Definition

Bad is an adjective. Adjectives describe nouns and pronouns. Badly is an adverb. Adverbs describe verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. Good is an adjective. An adjective describes nouns or pronouns. When describing a verb, use the adverb well, meaning “capably” or “satisfactorily,” instead of the adjective good. Well may be used as either an adjective or an adverb.

Explanation

Use bad to describe nouns or when something is, looks, feels, or smells a certain way. Think of it as describing a state of being. Badly, on the other hand, describes an action. If someone performs a task poorly, they did it badly.

Similarly, good is for describing nouns (a good idea). Use well to describe an action (she sings well). An exception is when talking about health—it's correct to say you feel well, where well acts as an adjective.

Definition

Slow can be used as either an adjective or an adverb. Slowly is used only as an adverb. Real is an adjective meaning “actual” or “true.” Adjectives describe nouns and pronouns. Really is an adverb meaning “truly” or “actually.” Adverbs describe verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.

Explanation

Though people often say things like "drive slow," in formal writing it's better to use slowly when describing a verb. A good rule is to use slow for nouns (a slow clock) and slowly for verbs (the clock ticks slowly).

Use real to describe something that is genuine, like real pearls. It's an adjective that modifies nouns. Really is an adverb that means "very" or "truly." It gives a boost to other words, as in a "really smart dog" or running "really fast."