Public Services and Procurement Canada
Symbol of the Government of Canada

Institutional Links

 

Important notice

Writing Tips has been archived and won’t be updated before it is permanently deleted.

For the most up-to-date content, please consult Writing Tips Plus, which combines content from Writing Tips and The Canadian Style. And don’t forget to update your bookmarks!

Search Canada.ca
To begin your search, go to the alphabetical index below and click on the first letter of the word you are searching for.

bad, badly

Bad is the adjective, and badly is the adverb.

Use bad with linking verbs that express feeling, being, appearing or becoming:

  • Do you still feel bad, or do you feel better now?
  • Things are (or look) bad right now, but tomorrow is another day.
  • Chicken will go bad if it is not refrigerated.

Use badly with action verbs and their forms (participles, gerunds, infinitives):

  • The game went very badly for the home team after the second period.
  • She sings so badly, her friends always ask her to stop.
  • During the Depression, money was so badly needed, people sold their boots to buy food.
  • Spelling badly can prevent you from communicating clearly.
  • Matt knew he wouldn’t do well on his test, but he didn’t expect to do this badly.