Learning English – Lesson Five (Good and Bad)

You know the world of English is a fun and exciting place to be. I’m so glad you could join me for another lesson.

Hi everybody…this is Misterduncan in England!

How are you today? Are you OK? I hope so!

Are you happy? I hope so!

In this lesson we will take a look at two common words which have opposite meanings and many uses within the English language. Today we will look at..good and bad.

In English, just like any other language, we need to be able to express that which is…positive and that which is..negative. The words ‘good’ and ‘bad’ give us a very simple, but useful way of expressing these descriptions easily, but there are many other ways of showing what is…good or OK and what is…bad or not OK.

We can use good or bad to describe the way we feel.

• ‘How are you feeling today?’
• ‘I feel good’
• ‘I feel bad’

In the positive sentence, good can mean well or happy and in the negative sentence, bad can mean unwell or unhappy. Good and bad can be used to show enjoyment or a dislike towards something.

• ‘Did you enjoy the movie?’
• ‘Yes it was good’
• ‘No it was bad’

Of course we can use good and bad to describe a person and their character.

• ‘Thank you for your help, you are good’
• ‘That man stole my bike, he is bad’

Let’s look at some longer sentences using good and bad.

• ‘My boss gave me the morning off from work..’
• ‘…so I went shopping…’
• ‘…I had a really good morning’
• ‘I lost my wallet this morning…’
• ‘…and then I was late for work,’
• ‘…I had a really bad morning’
• ‘I went for lunch today with a good friend of mine…’
• ‘…but the food at the restaurant was bad…’
• ‘…I’m not going there again.’
• ‘We had a good time…’
• ‘…to bad we have to say goodbye.’

In the last sentence, too bad means it is pity or Isn’t that a shame? It’s too bad!

It would seem that there are many more uses for the word good than bad, which is quite a good thing, don’t you agree?

Hey! Hey, there! I’m talking to you! Rude bird!

It is worth remembering that the words…well and good cannot always be used as similes. For example, you cannot say…’He sang good today’ ‘She ran good today’ ‘They Played good today’. In these sentences, you can only use ‘well’.

However, when we look at it he other way round, ‘well’ can be used instead of ‘good’ when describing the way you feel. So saying that you feel well or that you feel good are both correct. This rule can cause a lot of confusion for some English students.

Finally we can use ‘good’ and ‘bad’ as basic ways of expressing what is right and wrong. Good is the opposite of evil and wicked. In Religion, we often see the words ‘good’ and ‘evil’ used as opposites.

There is a saying in English that goes…’You must take the good with the bad’ or ‘The rough with the smooth’. This means that life is not always fair or easy. You must accept the unpleasant experiences and hard times for what they are. All experiences are a part of living, be they good or bad.

Well that is all from me for today, but do not feel bad because I will be back again very soon. Is that good for you? I hope so! This is Misterduncan in England saying…thank you for watching me, teaching you…and of course…Ta-ta for now!