ESL Grammar: ADVERBS (6) – Irregular Adverbs #3

In this ESL grammar exercise, students practice using the adjective/adverb pairs of good/well and bad/badly.

ESL Grammar: Irregular Adjective/Adverb Pairs Overview

In English, some adjectives and adverbs do not follow the standard patterns for modification. These irregular pairs have unique forms and uses. Let’s explore how to correctly use “good”, “well”, “bad”, and “badly”.

1. Good vs. Well

1.1 Good (Adjective)

• Meaning: Describes the quality of a noun; indicates something that is of high quality or pleasing.
• Usage: Used to describe nouns, such as people, things, or situations.
• Examples:
  • She is a good student. (Describes the noun “student”)
  • The food tastes good. (Describes the noun “food”)
  • He made a good decision. (Describes the noun “decision”)

1.2 Well (Adverb)

• Meaning: Describes how well something is done; refers to the manner or quality of an action.
• Usage: Used to describe verbs, indicating how effectively or skillfully an action is performed.
• Examples:
  • She sings well. (Describes how she performs the action of singing)
  • He plays the piano well. (Describes how he performs the action of playing)

2. Bad vs. Badly

2.1 Bad (Adjective)

• Meaning: Describes the quality of a noun; indicates something that is of low quality or unpleasant.
• Usage: Used to describe nouns, such as people, things, or situations.
• Examples:
  • He gave a bad presentation. (Describes the noun “presentation”)
  • The food tastes bad. (Describes the noun “food”)
  • She made a bad choice. (Describes the noun “choice”)

2.2 Badly (Adverb)

• Meaning: Describes how poorly something is done; refers to the manner or quality of an action.
• Usage: Used to describe verbs, indicating how ineffectively or poorly an action is performed.
• Examples:
  • He performed badly in the exam. (Describes how he performed the action of taking the exam)
  • She speaks badly about her colleagues. (Describes how she performs the action of speaking)

The English grammar lesson below introduces the irregular adjective/adverb pairs “good/well” and “bad/badly” in a clear and simple manner that is easy for beginner or intermediate English learners to understand. Our series of ESL grammar lessons on subjects and verbs introduce these concepts and reinforce them through helpful and instructive exercises.

This lesson is available for free download, and you can download many more English grammar lessons focusing on all different parts of speech (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs and lots more!) in our comprehensive, beginner-level ESL grammar textbook Great, Great Grammar! (Book 1: Parts of Speech).