Certain sets of words in the English language tend to confuse people. I have found the following to be among them:
BAD / BADLY
The confusion here usually comes when you talk about how you feel. The verb to feel is intransitive like the verb to be. Would you say, “I am beautiful” (or handsome) or “I am beautifully” (or handsomely)? Just as beautiful is an adjective describing something or someone, so is bad. Therefore, you would say “I feel bad” if you are trying to say that you are sick or sad or sorry. To say “I feel badly” would mean that your sense of touch is out of whack.
Incorrect: I feel badly that I didn’t go see my grandmother while she was in the hospital.
Correct: I feel bad that I didn’t go see my grandmother while she was in the hospital.
Also Correct: I feel bad this morning; I have an awful headache.
Incorrect: I sanded that wood so hard my fingertips bled. Now, until they heal, I’ll feel bad and won’t be able to determine how smooth the wood is.
Correct: I sanded that wood so hard my fingertips bled. Now, until they heal, I’ll feel badly and won’t be able to determine how smooth the wood is.
NOTE: The same holds true for smell bad or badly. If you have just run a marathon and haven’t had time to shower yet, you may smell bad. If, on the other hand, your nose is stuffed up, you may smell badly.
© 2018 Ann Henry. All Rights Reserved.