And now we begin the second ultra-specific workshop from The Mike Ireland Big Three...
I Feel Good, My Fingers Feel Well:
I've always enjoyed this next grammar thing because it's one that actually fakes out people trying to write/speak properly more than it does people who aren't - the truly retentive types will probably even try to (wrongly) correct others with what they believe to be right. So let's get into it, shall we?
Which of the following feels correct:
I feel good today.
or,
I feel well today.
When people really stop to think about this, a lot of times they go through a logical thought process: "I" is the subject of the sentence, "feel" is the verb to the subject, and "good/well" is describing the verb for how you feel - thus, it must be "well" because "well" is an adverb, which is something that describes a very. Makes sense, right?
It does, but it's wrong.
The correct form of that sentence - in regards to emotional feelings, anyway - is "I feel good".
The Explanation:
I'm going to drop one weird grammar word on you guys today (it'll be the only one, I promise!): copula. A copula or copulative verb, often called "linking verbs" for English, ties a descriptive word to the sentence subject as opposed to describing an action of itself. For those of you who have studied other languages, the "to be" verb (in English, forms of am/is/are) is pretty much the textbook example of a copula ("Quintus is a Roman boy").
Compare some "normal", transitive verbs like run, steal or stab to some copulae like get, be or sounds.
So the bottom line: there's a group of specific verbs that describe the subject noun itself rather than what the subject noun is doing. "Feel" is one of those verbs.
More Than One Way To Feel:
Actually, I should rephrase that last statement I made. "Feel" in this particular example is a linking verb. However, there are other forms of feel - y'know, the action verb meaning "to touch with your hands". That said... "I feel well" can be grammatically correct if you're actually referring to your physical ability to feel. This really is the easiest way to remember this rule:
If you say "I feel good", it means your mood and mind are pleasant and positive.
If you say "I feel well", it means you have a powerful knack for touching things.
Quick Examples:
Things aren't always well and good in life (and I'm actually a little afraid of using both those words in a sentence like that now). So what if they're not good?
I feel bad about punching that baby in the face.
or,
I feel badly about punching that baby in the face.
Which one is correct? The top one that uses "bad", right!
On a related note, this grammar form is the same for, say, when people ask you "how are you?" or "how are you doing?". Do you say:
I am good.
or,
I am well.
Again, like the previous examples, "am" is a linking verb and as such takes an adjective (for the subject noun) rather than an adverb (for itself). Thus, the correct form is "I am good". I make special mention of this because the morning DJ of my favourite radio station always says this wrong and it irks me every time...
The Dreaded Exception To The Rule:
So now after all of that Grammar I now tell you there's an exception to the "I feel good/well" thing?! Oh how cruel thine language be... ahem.
Alright, so there is one good, commonly accepted reason for saying "I feel well" or "I am well" outside of touching things. This comes into play when you're talking about physical health. If you're making a statement about your health, then "I am/feel well" is perfectly acceptable. As a quick reference guide:
"I am/feel well today" is good if someone's asking you about your health.
"I am/feel good today" is better for when someone's asking about how your day's been.
For Whom This Is Important:
I'm actually starting to regret using that header for this "closing statements" section of these; these grammar rules are important for everybody, after all! But yes, this workshop is probably the most language-specific (as opposed to writing-specific) thing out of the Mike Ireland Big Three. This one will probably be the most useful in a casual speaking manner and as a general thing you keep close to yourself.
'Cause seriously, imagine how much fun it'll be to have some pretentious asshat try to correct your grammar, telling you "you mean 'you feel well today,' right?" and then your reply of "actually, yes, my fingers are quite excellent at feeling things, but that wasn't what I meant... idiot."
So that's that. Everyone feel good about this one? Have any questions about it or anything along these lines? Ask 'em and I'll be good enough to answer as soon as I can.
