Good
Exceptional Expressions For Everyday Events
Good is quite hardworking and functional, as words go, serving in many situations as an adjective or a noun, as well as in a goodly number of phrases. Good can describe something that is high in quality or of an elevated standard. A well-written paper or an insightful answer from a student would be considered good. The word good can refer to a person’s character or behavior. A person who volunteers to help others, or who is honest, dependable, and trustworthy would be considered of good character.
Good is employed in evaluative statements that distinguish the relative quality of one thing compared with another. It is one of the set of comparative terms good, better, best. In addition, many synonyms exist for good that help express degrees of this quality, making good an excellent candidate for a word line exercise.
The noun good is defined as a moral quality, such as good versus evil, or as something beneficial, such as the common good. In its plural form, goods, the noun can also refer to items of merchandise, as in: “The U.S. imports goods from around the world.”
Depending on its context, the word good may mean that something is merely adequate. If a student turns in a paper late the teacher might say, “Good.” Most likely, however, his meaning is that the situation is acceptable but not ideal. When a friend’s mother serves you food you really don’t enjoy, you may say it is good to be polite but you are thinking, “This isn’t so great.”
Follow-Ups
- When might the word good simply mean OK?
- How is being a good student different from being an excellent student?
The Spanish Connection
The word good comes from the Old English word god, with ties to the Dutch goed and German gut. It is believed that god is related to a word that means “fitting” or “suitable.” The Spanish word for good is not a cognate. However some of the synonyms for good have Spanish cognates, such as excellent and excelente.
Word Changes
- Even though there is a word goodly (an adjective meaning a large amount), the correct adverb for good is well. This unusual form can create some challenges, for instance: Ronnie is a good student, but she did not do well on the test.
- Another complication is that the word well is also used as an adjective to mean “healthy,” so people often confuse well and good. In casual conversation, people often say, “I feel good,” meaning they feel healthy or happy, when, strictly speaking, they want to say “I feel well.”
