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Bad vs. Badly

The word bad is an adjective used to modify nouns and pronouns.

Example: She was in a bad accident.

Adverbs often end in ly. The word badly is an adverb that answers how about the verb.

Example: She was hurt badly in the accident.

The confusion comes with the sense verbs: taste, look, smell, and feel.

When we use these verbs actively, we should follow them with adverbs.
When we use these verbs descriptively, we should follow them with adjectives.

Example: I feel bad about having said that.
I am not feeling with fingers in the above example; I am describing my state of mind, so the adjective is used (no ly).

Example: She feels badly since her fingers were burned.
She feels with her fingers here so the adverb (ly form) is used.

You can use this same rule about sense verbs with adjectives and adverbs other than bad and badly.

Example: The mask over his face made him look suspicious to the police.
He did not look with eyes. Look describes his appearance so the adjective is needed.

Example: She looked suspiciously at the $100 bill.
She looked with eyes so the adverb is needed.

Example: She looked good for someone who never exercised.
She didn’t look with eyes. Good is describing her appearance so the adjective is needed.

Example: He smelled well for someone with a cold.
He is actively smelling with his nose so the adverb is needed.

Rule: Well is used when referring to health.

Example: He doesn’t feel well enough today to come to work.

Quiz

1. Please don’t feel bad/badly about forgetting to call me.
2. His face looked bad/badly bruised after being punched.
3. She looked cautious/cautiously at the man ahead of her.
4. She feels cautious/cautiously when walking alone at night.
5. She smelled good/well after spraying perfume on her neck.
6. If you feel good/well enough on Saturday, we hope you will join us for dinner.

Answers

1. bad
2. badly
3. cautiously
4. cautious
5. good
6. well

Posted on Friday, July 6th, 2007 at 2:50 pm

6 Comments

6 Responses to “Bad vs. Badly”

  1. Shawn says:
    October 7, 2011 at 11:43 am

    Hi,

    Thanks for the examples. However, I have one that I’m not sure of.

    “I want money so bad I can taste it.”
    “I want money so badly I can taste it.”

    Which of the two is correct? If my guess is correct, the first sentence should be used as “want” is a state of being/mind (right?).

    Reply
    • Jane says:
      October 8, 2011 at 4:38 pm

      You need to use a word that describes the verb want. The word badly is an adverb that answers how about the verb want.
      I want money so badly I can taste it.

      Reply
  2. Mike says:
    December 17, 2011 at 1:54 pm

    Gosh, I am reluctant to mention this, because you are the expert, Jane, and I’m probably about to make a fool of myself. But in the sentence ‘I want money so bad or badly’, I thought ‘want’ was a linking verb (state-of-being verb), and, therefore, the adjective bad must be used. Isn’t the rule that you use adjectives to modify linking verbs and adverbs to modify action verbs?

    Can you help me understand my mistake, please.

    Reply
    • Jane says:
      December 18, 2012 at 3:28 pm

      The word want is not a linking verb. Linking verbs are forms of to be or “sense” verbs such as look, feel, smell, taste, appear, seem, and sound. Adjectives do not modify verbs, but adjectives follow linking verbs and modify the noun that comes after the linking verb.

      I want money so badly.
      The meat tastes bad.

      Reply
  3. Nancy Grace says:
    December 19, 2011 at 8:44 pm

    How do you know when to use bad and when to use badly?

    Reply
    • Jane says:
      December 20, 2012 at 5:52 pm

      If you want to modify a noun or pronoun, use the adjective bad.
      We had a bad storm.

      If you want to modify a verb that is not a sense verb, use the adverb badly.
      She was hurt badly in the tornado.

      Reply

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