Grammar Help!

English grammar and usage issues

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Re: Grammar Help!

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ironmathyu5 wrote: 23 Aug 2020, 08:47 Please help me explain to my girlfriend why, "My balance is not very well" is not grammatically correct.
With the meaning “in a good way”, “well” is an adverb. Adverbs qualify verbs, adjectives and other adverbs. They do not qualify nouns.

“Balance” is a noun. Nouns can be qualified by adjectives such as “good”.

My balance is not very good.
(adjective “good” qualifies noun “balance”)

OR

I cannot balance very well.
(adverb “well” qualifies verb “balance”)

In another context, when “well” means “healthy” or “not sick”, “well” is an adjective:

My teacher is not very well today.
(adjective “well” qualifies noun “teacher”)
"We are not wholly bad or good, who live our lives under Milk Wood :? " — Dylan Thomas, Under Milk Wood

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