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Anonymous Posted 16 years ago
Grammar

Really Badly?

Is it EVER appropriate to say really badly? it sounds horrible and i was always taught that it was either real bad, really bad, or real badly. but never really badly. I got into an arguement with my friend about it.
  

Top answer

Sorry, but it is perfectly acceptable in casual English-- it is far too common too ignore. 'Really' is of course just informal for 'very'. As for 'bad/badly', here is what the American Heritage Dictionary has to say: Bad is often used as an adverb in sentences such as The house was shaken up pretty bad or We need water bad.

— Mister Micawber

  • Sorry, but it is perfectly acceptable in casual English-- it is far too common too ignore.
  • 'Really' is of course just informal for 'very'.
  • As for 'bad/badly', here is what the American Heritage Dictionary has to say: Bad is often used as an adverb in sentences such as The house was shaken up pretty bad or We need water bad.
  • This usage is common in informal speech but is widely regarded as unacceptable in formal writing.
  • ·The use of badly with want was once considered incorrect but is now entirely acceptable: We wanted badly to go to the beach.
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3 Answers
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Sorry, but it is perfectly acceptable in casual English-- it is far too common too ignore.

'Really' is of course just informal for 'very'. As for 'bad/badly', here is what the American Heritage Dictionary has to say:

Bad is often used as an adverb in sentences such as The house was shaken up pretty bad or We need water bad.
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It depends what verb you want to use it with. Obviously, adverbs are used to describe verbs, or HOW something is done, but -

with "feel" "look" "smell" "sound" "taste" "seem" the rule is that you generally use an adjective after them - that is: "It looks strange" "The soup tastes delicious" "That story sounds scary" "I feel awful". So, with "feel" it is generally more usual to say "bad
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'Real bad', ' Real badly', 'really badly', 'really bad'...all mean the same! Real and bad can be used as both adjectives and adverbs. Real holds the same meaning as really, meaning very.

And bad, on the other hand, is both an adjective and an adverb.

Thus, 'real bad' or 'really badly' literally mean 'very badly'.

E.g.. I was hit real bad by a car.

OR I was hit really(ve

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