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Anonymous Posted 17 years ago
Grammar
Good in or Good at?
I was recently engaged in a discussion with a Bulgarian english teacher on Skype. I was telling him that I was good IN pronunciation and he immediately corrected me with "good AT".
I was puzzled by this, so I googled about it.
So I found this BBC english place
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv8.shtml
It was written that there's almost no difference between these 2. But the bulgarian friend insisted that he was right with "good AT".
Althought "Good at sex" is right, but "Good at chemistry/pronunciation/medicine/bed" sounds not right to me.
So anyone? Enlighten me please!!!
I was puzzled by this, so I googled about it.
So I found this BBC english place
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv8.shtml
It was written that there's almost no difference between these 2. But the bulgarian friend insisted that he was right with "good AT".
Althought "Good at sex" is right, but "Good at chemistry/pronunciation/medicine/bed" sounds not right to me.
So anyone? Enlighten me please!!!
Top answer
Hi, They both sound OK to me, and often no real difference is intended by the speaker. Here are a few comments on nuances that I perceive. good at pronunciation More formally correct.
- Hi, They both sound OK to me, and often no real difference is intended by the speaker.
- Here are a few comments on nuances that I perceive.
- good at pronunciation More formally correct.
- Can be taken to mean you do it well, ie you pronounce words well.
- Most native speakers are good at pronunciation.
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7 Answers
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Hi,
They both sound OK to me, and often no real difference is intended by the speaker.
Here are a few comments on nuances that I perceive.
good at pronunciation More formally correct. Can be taken to mean you do it well, ie you pronounce words well. Most native speakers are good at pronunciation.
good in pronunciation A bit more informal, by which
They both sound OK to me, and often no real difference is intended by the speaker.
Here are a few comments on nuances that I perceive.
good at pronunciation More formally correct. Can be taken to mean you do it well, ie you pronounce words well. Most native speakers are good at pronunciation.
good in pronunciation A bit more informal, by which
00
"Good at pronunciation" is the only version that my ear accepts without cringing.
Your other examples:
"Good at ***"
"Good at chemistry" "Good in chemistry"
"Good at medicine" "Good in medicine"
"Good in bed"
These all seem okay to me but the ones in blue are a bit rough on
Your other examples:
"Good at ***"
"Good at chemistry" "Good in chemistry"
"Good at medicine" "Good in medicine"
"Good in bed"
These all seem okay to me but the ones in blue are a bit rough on
00
"good in pronunciation" sounds quite wrong to me. In fact, without any explanatory context I might not even understand that it was supposed to mean "good at pronunciation". Perhaps there are some regional differences here (I'm British English).
As far as my usage is concerned, I also don't agree with the emphasis of the stat
As far as my usage is concerned, I also don't agree with the emphasis of the stat
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To me, good at bed doesn't show ability in anything. Therefore, good in should be used instead.
To be good at *** expresses your ability in ***.
To be good at *** expresses your ability in ***.
00
I would say that "in" is somewhat more appropriate for a subject or field of study, and "at" is somewhat more appropriate for a skill or activity.
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khoffI would say that "in" is somewhat more appropriate for a subject or field of study, and "at" is somewhat more appropriate for a skill or activity.I think this comes close to my differentiation: good in [noun, such as math, electronics]; good at [ ___-ing, such as translating, cooking].
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PhilipI think this comes close to my differentiation: good in [noun, such as math, electronics]; good at [ ___-ing, such as translating, cookingI don't think it is wrong to say "I am good at math." To me, 'good in' either doesn't fit in the sentence, or is not the only choice.
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