Have you ever wondered if “I feel badly” is correct or incorrect? Okay, most people don’t wonder, but maybe, just maybe, you are wondering. So, which is correct, “I feel badly,” or “I feel bad,” when describing one’s physical state? Most people aren’t confused when they hear either of these sentences: they just know that you don’t feel well.grammar, grammar rule, english grammar, grammar check, grammar help
Let’s take a look at the rules:
- LY is added to the end of an adjective to create an adverb. Wait! Don’t go. Just take it one step at a time, and it’ll make sense.
- An adjective describes something. An adverb describes something too: a verb*
- Okay, so LY added to a word means that it describes a VERB. A verb shows ACTION.
- SO…words that end in LY can only describe HOW or the METHOD of performing an ACTION.
BADLY, can ONLY show HOW something is DONE. Here are some sentences to exemplify all this gibberish:
grammar, grammar rule, english grammar, grammar check, grammar help
Correct:
- He writes badly. (Tells how he writes.)
- She sings badly. (Tells how she sings.)
Incorrect:
- She feels badly. (Tells how she touches something…not her physical state but her tactile ability.)
- I felt badly about his death. (Again, incorrect.)
“I feel bad.” Is the only correct way to express your state of health.grammar, grammar rule, english grammar, grammar check, grammar help
(*and other adjectives, but let’s not get in over our heads just yet.)
grammar, grammar rule, english grammar, grammar check, grammar help
