“I feel bad.” vs. “I feel badly.”

Adjectives, Adverbs, Verbs, Versus

I thought again about these two forms after hearing someone claim that only one of these was correct.

Problem:
The verb “feel” can take an adjective or an adverb.

Explanation:
The verb “feel” is a loaded verb in that it relates to a state of health or emotion as well as to the sense of touch.

The verb “feel” can be used as a linking verb, which is called a “copula” in linguistics.

A linking verb ties the subject of a sentence with the predicate of the sentence.

As described elsewhere, the verbs “be”, “become”, and “seem” are called true linking verbs because they can be nothing else.

Examples include:

  • “I am rich!”
  • “You became wealthy.”
  • “They seem nice.”

In contrast, each of the following verbs can act as an action verb or as a linking verb:

  • “appear”;
  • “feel”;
  • “grow”
  • “look”;
  • “prove”;
  • “remain”;
  • “smell”;
  • “sound”;
  • “taste”;
  • “turn”.

Here are examples of these verbs used as action verbs, each of which can be modified by one or more adverbs:

  • “She effortlessly appeared from the bushes.”
  • “He barely feels that tack in the carpet.”
  • “Mary often grows hibiscus plants.”
  • Look now at that cow crossing the road!”
  • “Can you quickly prove this theorem?”
  • “I can remain here.”
  • “Everyone should always smell the flowers.”
  • “Paul Revere urgently sounded the alarm.”
  • “Can they barely taste the ginger in that dessert?”
  • “Please slowly turn the car to the right at the next light.”

Here are examples of the same verbs used as linking verbs, each of which is followed by an adjective:

  • “She appears ill.”
  • “He feels odd.”
  • “Mary grows angry when she sees her hibiscus flowers destroyed.”
  • “Darling, you look marvelous!”
  • “Purchase of Manhattan proved inexpensive.”
  • “The dishes remain dirty.”
  • “You smell delightful.”
  • “His argument sounds correct.”
  • “This dessert tastes delicious.”
  • “His face turns red when you embarrass him.”

Solution:
Use “I feel bad.” to describe the current state of your emotions or health. Use “I feel badly.” to describe your ability to feel with your sensory neurons.