Feeling -ly
Lots of bad things happen in the world, and lots of people sympathize with those to whom the bad things are happening. However, they tend to say they're feeling badly about something. Which is not what they mean. Unless they do mean to say that they have trouble feeling for that person, perhaps because he's a jerk or deserves it or something. What you feel for someone with whom you sympathize is bad. You don't feel happily for people when they get good news, right? Or feel sadly when someone dies? So don't feel badly, feel bad.
3 comments
Julianna
2/23/2005 at 6:15 PM (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I don't like feeling badly or sadly. I hope you are well (not good). : )
Julianna
2/23/2005 at 10:02 PM (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I need help. worse vs. worst
I don't believe I have ever used "worst", when it is appropriate?
Jessica
2/23/2005 at 10:39 PM (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Hmm. How to explain worse vs worst. Worst is worse than worse, and worst is usually used alone. Cherry pie is worse than peach pie, but a lack of pie is the worst. See, Cherry and peach go together, but a lack of pie is on its own. People can be the worst-dressed or worst-behaved, if they dress or behave worse than everyone else. Wurst is a sauage.
Often worst accompanies the, and than accompanies worse. Wurst accompanies saurkraut. When you're comparing two things, one is worse; if you're comparing one thing to every other thing of its type, it's the worst. Like better and best; if you don't have a mental block about that pair, just substitute them in whenever you talk about bad things, and pretend it's opposite day. Better and best are easier because they don't sound as much alike as worse and worst and wurst.
Incidentally, I don't know if it's "when worse comes to worst" or "when worst comes to worst" or "when worse comes to worse," although the first way makes the most sense to me. In any case, I take the coward's way out and avoid writing it. You can't really hear the difference when you speak it.