Common grammatical mistakes made in English: good, well or right.
Learning a language is a process of trial and error. Of course, as a non-native speaker, you will occasionally make mistakes; you can't avoid that.
But if you become aware of some common mistakes, you will be one step closer to professionalising your business English.
A common grammatical error made in English by non-native speakers is the use of good, well or right.
Good, well or right
The words good, well and right are easily confused by non-native speakers, and in fact, even native speakers of English sometimes have problems with the differences between good and well.
The main distinction you need to know in order to use these words correctly is the following:
- Good is an adjective and describes nouns: something or someone can be good.
- Well is an adverb and usually describes actions.
Example:
- She is a good manager.
- He handled the meeting well.
However, it is also possible to say 'I feel well' and 'I feel good'.
What is the difference?
- 'I feel well' describes your health.
- But when you say 'I feel good', you are talking about your emotional state.
Right
Many non native English speakers tend to make the following mistakes :
- Wrong: *This is the good way.
Right: This is the right way! - Wrong: *What is the good answer?
Right: What is the right answer?
In these previous examples 'good' and 'right' are used as adjectives, but the mistake can also occur when they are used as adverbs. Therefore:
- Wrong: *I did everything good.
Right: I did everything right.
More tips on English grammar and common mistakes in English? These articles might also interest you:
- English grammar: If versus when
- English grammar: Fewer versus less
- English grammar: For versus since
- English grammar: Much versus many
- English grammar: Which versus who
- English grammar: To lay versus to lie
- English grammar: Present or Present Perfect
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