0
Teo Posted 21 years ago
Grammar

like ... well

1. I like this movie (the) best.

2. I like this movie better (than that one).

3. I like this movie well.

In #1, best is the superlative of well, isn't it?

Are #2 & #3 acceptable?
  

Top answer

Yes: well, better, best. #2 is fine, but #3 sounds odd-- not ungrammatical, but I think we would almost always say very much . He did the job well.

— Mister Micawber

  • Yes: well, better, best.
  • #2 is fine, but #3 sounds odd-- not ungrammatical, but I think we would almost always say very much .
  • He did the job well.
  • He drives well.
  • I thought well of him .
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

3 Answers
0
Yes: well, better, best.

#2 is fine, but #3 sounds odd-- not ungrammatical, but I think we would almost always say very much.

He did the job well.
He drives well.
I thought well of him.

These are fine; I don't know what is the problem with like + well here.
0
0
I don't think best is being used as a superlative of well here. I'd say it is the superlative of 'a lot'.

I like this movie best.

I like this movie more than that one.

I like this movie a lot.
0
0
When you say that you like well, you're expressing HOW you actually perform the act of liking--how you DO the liking. I don't think you mean that. Instead, I think you mean to answer the question how much you like something, not how you go about liking it.

If, in the three sentences, you're expressing a comparison, you would use as well as, better, or the best.

For example, I lik
0

Related Questions