Good and bad

Posted by R. Berg on March 19, 2003

In Reply to: Good and bad posted by EE on March 19, 2003

: : : : What is/are the correct preposition(s) after good and bad? Good at/bad in...? Others correct too? Thanks.

: : : All correct:
: : : Andy is good at catching fly balls.
: : : Charlie is bad at keeping secrets.
: : : Green vegetables are good for you.
: : : Aspirin is good for a headache.
: : : Political instability is bad for the stock market.
: : : Fresh herbs are good in potato soup.

: : Also, he's been very good to me.

: : There's no one correct preposition, as you'll have noted, and it all comes down to meaning.

: : Good at = skilled at or proficient in.
: : Good for = has a beneficial effect upon.
: : Good in = enjoyable, with the location or situation being subsequently defined (herbs are good in soup, Olivier was good in "Hamlet")
: : Good to = kindly or well-behaved towards.

: Is it correct to write: I am bad in math.? Or should it be: I am bad at math.?

: Also, how do you use good with?

: Thanks.

"I am bad at math" (or "I am poor at math") means "I don't do math well." However, one would say, correctly, "I make too many mistakes in math."
"I am bad in math" would seldom be heard. You might use that to report that you do poorly in a math CLASS at school.
"Good with tools" or "good with children" means competent when interacting with tools/children.

• good and bad EE 03/19/03