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Good and Nice: Common Adjectives
with Many Uses |
The 2014 film Whiplash tells the story of a young man
who wants to be a great jazz musician. He has a music
director who often says cruel things to him.
At one point in the film, the music director makes this
statement to the young man:
There are no two words in the English language more
harmful than "Good Job.''
Today's report will be much nicer than the lines of the
film suggest.
We will not be learning about mean music directors (at
least, not today). Instead, we will talk about two very
common adjectives: the words "nice" and "good."
We will show you how Americans use these words in
everyday speech. We will also show you how they are used
in social situations.
But first, we have to give you a few definitions.
What are adjectives?
Adjectives are words that help describe or provide
information about nouns.
Speakers generally use adjectives before a noun or after
a non-action verb. Such verbs are sometimes called
linking verbs.
In everyday speech, Americans often use the adjectives
"good" and "nice." These words have a positive, but
inexact meaning.
Here are two examples:
She is a good person.
He is a nice man.
In the examples, the adjectives "good" and "nice" come
before a noun – the words "person" and "man."
These are pleasant, respectful ways to describe people.
Not very good and not very nice
Americans use the adjectives "good" and "nice" in other
ways. They use them in a few common expressions. Terms
like "not very nice" and "not very good" are generally
used to describe people and their behavior.
These indirect expressions show an undesirable or bad
opinion, but they have a softer meaning than direct
speech does.
Consider our next example. Listen to this exchange that
two students might have:
1: Have you finished your math homework?
2: No, I'm not very good at math.
1: Well, the teacher doesn't help much...
2: Yeah, he gave me an F on the last test. He told me my
grade in front of the entire class… that wasn't very
nice of him...
In this example, you heard two uses of not very + an
adjective: not very good and not very nice.
Americans often use these expressions in place of direct
language. Instead of saying "I'm not very good at
mathematics," the student could have said, "I'm bad at
math."
Instead of saying, "that wasn't very nice of him…," the
other student could have said, "that was a mean thing to
do."
The two speakers used "good" and "nice" in indirect
expressions because they are considered to be more
polite.
Social Uses of Good and Nice
Susan Conrad and Douglas Biber are experts on English
grammar. They say English speakers often use "good" and
"nice" for social reasons. They use these words to give
praise, express approval, and show appreciation. They
also use them to show a positive reaction.
We are not able to give you examples of all of these
uses. However, we can show you how Americans use them in
a few situations.
#1 Good and nice – Expressions
that give compliments on possessions or achievements.
Speakers often use "good" and "nice" in expressions that
praise people for their possessions or successes.
A friend might comment on your new shoes by saying, for
example, "Those are nice shoes. Where did you get them?"
Or a teacher might congratulate a student by saying,
"You did a very good job on the test."
Think back to the film Whiplash. You heard the music
director tell his student:
'There are no two words in the English language more
harmful than "Good Job.''
By saying that the words 'good job' are harmful, the
music director means that words of praise are bad. He
believes that true artists will never become
disheartened – no matter how mean people are to them!
#2 Showing approval for ideas
Another use of good is to show approval of an idea.
One speaker presents an idea and another speaker reacts
in an approving way by saying, "Good idea," for example.
In an office, a supervisor might tell an employee,
"That's a good idea. I like that."
Friends eating at a restaurant, for example, might say
the following words:
1: Do you want dessert?
2: Sounds good to me!
Here, the second speaker is showing approval at the
first speaker's idea – getting something to eat after
the meal. This is an easy-going, friendly way to agree
with another person.
What can you do?
The next time you are watching a film or listening to
music in English, try to find examples of "good" and
"nice." Ask yourself how the speakers use these words.
Do they have a social use? Are they replacing direct
speech that might be considered rude or uncultured?
Learning how to use good and nice can be difficult. But
with hard work and effort, you will make good progress.
I'm John Russell.
And I'm Dorothy Gundy.
John Russell wrote this story for Learning English.
George Grow was the editor. |
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