GOOD and WELL--Today's "Gotcha" Grammar Glitch

It's more difficult to use good grammar when you are speaking than it is when you are writing and can edit what is on the screen or paper. It is also true that the first priority of sports commentators is not always perfect grammar.

That said, I hope Mike Ditka will forgive me for using a comment of his about the New York Giants on ESPN Sunday as an illustration of when to use GOOD and WELL. Mike's comment in reference to the Giants was:

They played good today.

What he should have said was that the Giants played WELL. Or, he might have said correctly that they had a GOOD game.

EXPLANATION: Use GOOD to describe a noun (person, place or thing) as in:

The Giants played a GOOD game today.

The Giants have a GOOD team this year.


In each of the sentences above, "good" describes a thing ("game" or "team").

Use WELL to describe a verb (an action) as in:

The Giants played WELL today.

He hit the ball WELL in spite of his recent surgery.

I hope you have a GOOD day and do everything WELL!