As regards such shifting of parts of speech, is American hegemony complete?
Teaching P2 today, I noticed the obligatory frieze of HM (legs crossed, in Buddhist garb) contained the injunctions 'live good', 'speak good', 'act good'.
I thought about drawing the classroom teacher's attention to the 'error' but then thought 'ah, what's the point?' I first noticed the usage penetrated England about 15 years ago when a guy answered my 'how are you?' with an 'I'm good' and since then it has flourished like that pesky Japanese weed.
Is it time for sticklers to give up the ghost?
Talk proper would you?
There are few problems in life that cannot be solved with toast.
One of them, however, is opening a can of corned beef with that stupid key. This cannot easily be done at the best of times, and toast is of surprisingly little use in resolving the issue.
Put good next to a verb and see if it sounds right: She walks good? Yuck!
An old student of mine came to a gig once. At break time we sat. She informed me I'd made a grammatical error in a song, I Feel Good -James Brown. Bless her. Try to explain poetic license to an L2.
Good is an adjective, it's corresponding adverb is well.
It's been in common use so long that it's understandable that you saw what you saw.
On another teachers' forum that I use someone made the argument that some things are fairly well-accepted in oral communication but still are not in written form.
This seems like one of those cases.
Sho nuff is. I feel pretty good today sounds a whole lot better than I feel pretty well today, unless you're English that is.
good - definition of good by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.
Usage Note: Good is properly used as an adjective with linking verbs such as be, seem, or appear: The future looks good. The soup tastes good. It should not be used as an adverb with other verbs: The car runs well (not good). Thus, The dress fits well and looks good. See Usage Note at well2.
Originally Posted by jonny danger
If I were you, the reason I wouldn't bring the faux pas to the students attention is not because of the grammatical inconsistencies. The reason should be that you would be pointing out a (possible) mistake under the picture of HM. BIG no no!
I was teaching Social Studies a few years ago and we got into a discussion of royalty worldwide. I said that the main reason that European nations stopped allowing their royalty to have any real power or influence was that most of the royalty was cruel, unjust and not at all interested in their subjects. I further pointed out that the reason we call an overthrow an overthrow is that we used to, literally, throw our Kings and Queens over the castle walls, if they were despotic. I then told the students how incredibly lucky they were to have a King who cared about them and did good things for them.
The political shitstorm that ensued proved to me that saying ANYTHING other than "I love him and long may he live" is tantamount to putting a noose around one's neck. Never mind that I praised their King. I included him at the end of a conversation about BAD kings, in other countries, hundreds of years ago.
WHAT was I thinking?
Last edited by Ramalamadingdong; 12th November 2008 at 11:16. Reason: misspell
"If you're walking through the jungle and you see a Cobra and an Indian, kill the Indian!"
-Ancient Thai Proverb
"What caused early man to develop? One word...marijuana!"
- Carl Sagan
But saying 'live well, speak well and act well" in that context would be ludicrous wouldn't it? The word good is describing the manner in which the person should live, speak and act, not the verbs themselves. An English teacher allegedly trained in journalism and you can't fathom this meaning?
BTW why do most of your posts have a backhand stab at Thai culture, particularly the King?
Papa was a rodeo - Mama was a rock'n'roll band
I could play guitar and rope a steer before I learned to stand
Said good, markle!
kwam dii is what is likely being translated here... so the "mistake" is the lack of the definite article "the", if there is any mistake to be drawn to someone's attention...
also, "i'm good" is just fine... less formal-sounding than "i'm fine", which is good... both "fine" and "good" are adjectives in this standard phrase, so what this might have to do with adverbs is anyone's guess... and how this usage is related to "good" as an abstract noun is equally mysterious in regard to your question about adverbs...
all in all, it's probably a good thing you didn't point out the "mistake", since all the mistakes are yours... "sticklers" are well-advised to brush up on their language skills before they venture to stickle...
and the gratuitous sideswipe at American usage is out of place in these sections of the forum if the new rules apply to standard Brit condescension from below...
Usage of ‘Good’ and ‘Well’
You do something well, but a thing is good. The exception is verbs of sensation in phrases such as “the pie smells good,” or “I feel good.” Despite the arguments of nigglers, this is standard usage. Saying “the pie smells well” would imply that the pastry in question had a nose. Similarly, “I feel well” is also acceptable, especially when discussing health; but it is not the only correct usage.
plagiarism rules!
Well no, it wouldn't, it would be correct English. If you want to describe the manner of living you would say 'live in a good manner' (or perhaps a 'good way')
They don't, but anyway, what's it to you?
I'm good has always meant in english English 'I am a good person' (I possess the quality of goodness) and whilst it's true, you can colloquially 'feel good' (which has a slightly different emphasis to that of 'feel well'), you certainly can't 'live good', 'speak good' and 'act good'!
Not where I come from at any rate. this has nothing to do with condescension, but everything to do with felicity of expression. I happen to adore much American idiom - the greatest exponents of the language are all American
Last edited by tropic of cancer; 12th November 2008 at 13:35. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
What a crock of shit!!
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If you can't say something nice about someone, shut the f*k up
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I'm not quite sure what you're going on about here. Maybe you're saying that the phrase is being translated from something like 'a life of (doing) good' which is a standard usage of, as you say an abstract noun ('can we do some good?').
Whatever it's a translation of however doesn't alter the fact that it's ended up as bad English and the mistake (and it is a mistake) is squarely down, as I see it, to the dominance of U.S. English and the phenomenon of using adjectives instaed of adverbs (run fast, drive safe).
But I don't suppose it matters.
chip on your shoulder?What a crock of shit!!
Last edited by tropic of cancer; 12th November 2008 at 19:42. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
Not at all, I am well rounded and quite adjusted - but that quote? Are you serious? or am I misunderstanding your meaning.
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