“I feel bad” versus “I feel badly”
Often people use the sentence “I feel badly” to convey sympathy.
That’s wrong. Not being compassionate, that is, but rather using the word “badly.” The correct sentence is “I feel bad.” Yes, that sounds incorrect, but that’s because you are used to the grammatically incorrect sentence.
Still unsure? Do you say
- “I feel sad” or “I feel sadly”
- “The bottle feels hard” or “The bottle feels hardly”
- “He feels sexy” or “He feels sexily”
Only use the sentence “I feel badly” when referring to a disability regarding your sense of touch.
Want a more detailed explanation? Read this web page.
Tags: Adverbs, Bad, Badly, Grammar
My writing focuses on travel and culture. I've contributed to The Wall Street Journal, Fox News, Air Canada's enRoute, BlackBook, Budget Travel, Deadspin, and Louisville Magazine. I'm also the editor-in-chief of Louisville.com and BlackBook's Louisville City Editor.