well
well
The word “well” can be an adjective or an adverb. For this reason, it can be a tricky word to master. Knowing how to use “well” properly makes a big difference in how your English sounds.
Generally, the word well means good.
examples
- She’s doing well. (The adverb modifies “doing.”)
- He’s not well. (adjective)
- She’s not feeling well. (adjective)
- You speak English well. (adverb. “Well” modifies “speak.”)
- Well done! (This is an expression, but “well” modifies “done.”)
- There’s nothing better than a job well done. (adverb)
- Your supervisor speaks well of you. (adverb)
- They’re all doing well in their English class.
- How well are you doing with your English?
Well done!
English speakers use “well done” to congratulate a person on his or her good work.
well + past participle
By putting “well” in front of a past participle, you can create an adjective. Isn’t that interesting? Here are some examples:
- His jacket is very well worn.
- It’s well known among the people who live here that that bakery bakes the best bread.
- Toyotas are very well made.
- They are well-made cars. (When “well + past participle” appear before a noun, a hyphen is often used in order to accentuate the adjectival function of the phrase.)
Well...
By putting “well” in front of a past participle, you can create an adjective. Isn’t that interesting? Here are some examples:
- Well, one thing I like about traveling by train is that it’s very relaxing. (This is a simple statement of an opinion preceded by the word “well.”)
- Well, this is a find mess that you’ve gotten us into!
- Well, what do we have here? (This is an expression that is often used when talking about some sort of surprise or unusual situation.)
- Well, well, well. (This is similar to the above expression.)
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