good

Use “good” as an adjective for something that is enjoyable or of high quality. It’s the opposite of “bad.” You can also use “good” for other reasons as shown here:

I have a good amount of work to do today. (a good amount = a lot)
Are you good with this? (good = okay)
Are we good? (Is everything okay? or Is our relationship okay?)
Fruit and vegetables are good for you. (good for you = healthy)

Knowing how to use simple words like “good” in new ways is a method for sounding like a native speaker.

Oranges are good for you.

a. good = not bad

Let’s start with the most common use for “good.” The word “good” is the opposite of “bad.”

Chocolate ice cream tastes good.
Eating too much ice cream is not good for you..
That was a good movie.
I feel good today.
Swimming in a lake feels so good.

By the time we arrived at the hotel, all of the good rooms had already been taken.

b. Using "good" as an adverb and in comparative and superlative forms

When “good” is an adverb, it changes to the word “well.”

You speak English very well. (speak well)
He does his job well. (do well)

When used as a comparative adjective, the word “good” changes to “better” and “best.”

This restaurant is better than the one across the street. (is better)
That shirt looks better on you than the one you had on. (looks better)
This is the best guitar that I have ever played. (is the best)

When used as a superlative adverb, the word “better” or “best” modify a verb.

You can work better if you have more light. (work better)
She played better today compared to last week. (play better)
They work best when they are under some pressure. (work best)

This barber does his job very well.
The boy looks better with long hair, but he needs short hair for his job.

He does best when he’s under pressure.

c. good = an increase in quality or quantity

If you have a good amount of something, that means you have a lot of it.

I have a good amount of work to do.
There’s a good bit of traffic up ahead.
A good chunk of money is going towards the downpayment on our new house.
Their company has experienced a good increase in sales recently.
A good number of people attended the concert last night.
There’s been a good amount of progress made towards building more sustainably, which means we can all save a lot of money.

She’s already had a good amount of coffee today.

The sculpture “Cloud Gate” in Chicago receives a good amount of visitors every year.

d. You can use "good" as a noun.

You can put “already” before the word it modifies, or you can put it at the end of a sentence.

Free health care services may be expensive, but they are for the common good. (the common good = everyone benefits)
When the prices for consumer goods increase quickly, inflation may be the reason.
The average cost for goods and services are beginning to decrease.
You might not like to take medication, but it’s for your own good.
This is for your own good.
The little boy’s parents didn’t want to punish him, but it was for his own good.

Prices on consumer goods rise when there’s inflation.

Exercising every day is hard to do, but it’s for your own good.

e. Expressions that use "good"

You have a few different options when placing this adverb in a sentence.

He’s as good as dead. (He’s in really big trouble. Death may await him.)
I’m as as good as dead. (I’m in big trouble.)
This is as good as it gets. (This is the best situation. It won’t improve.)
Don’t be such a goodie goodie. (goodie goodie = a person who tries extremely hard to be good. Sometimes this irritates people.)
It’s a good thing you didn’t hurt yourself. (a good thing = a fortunate avoidance of trouble.)
This is a good thing. (This is a good situation.)

Don’t forget that “good” is found in many daily greetings and exclamations: