Speaking of adverbs/adjective confusion, I've always struggled with:
#1: How are you?
#2: Well.
v.
#2: Good.
#1 is not literally asking how #2 is doing something. #1 is asking about #2's state of being. The response, in my mind, calls for an adjective not an adverb. Good, not well.
But according too everybody well is correct.
Yes, I agree. The response should definitely be in adjective form. And "well"
can be an adjective: 1. In a satisfactory condition; right or proper: eg.
All is well. 2. Not ailing, infirm, or diseased; healthy.
But my question is this: do people who answer "well,"
mean the adjective form of it? Or are they translating my question, "how are you?" to "how are you doing?"
On a related note, I find it really annoying when someone asks me the question first and I say "good," and then in response to my query, he or she says, "well." Pfft. Thanks, yes, you speak correctly, I'm an idiot.
Personally, I think we should all use "good." I guess, literally, "good" doesn't make much sense - what are we saying, we're in a state of moral uprightness?
But lots of casual exchanges/queries don't make literal sense, eg. "What's up?" "How's it going?" etc. I think the "well" advocates need to get over it and embrace a language shift.