For a while

Ever wondered about the difference between awhile and a while? If you're like most people, you haven't because you always just use awhile. But there's good news. I'm here to present you with another grammar tip you probably won't remember or use! I'm sure you're as excited as I am.

The rules for awhile and a while are pretty simple as long as you don't think about them too much.

A while is an amount of time; therefore, it's a noun.

Awhile is an adverb.

While we all know the parts of speech, this still may not be a very practical explanation. So here's the quick and dirty version:

Awhile is used after a verb.

A while is used after for or another word like that.

Observe:

I listened to One Direction for a while, but then I realized it was crap and turned it off.

They dated awhile, even though she knew he was trouble when he walked in.

See? One word after a verb, two words after for.

Yes, it's nitpicky. It's grammar. That's kind of its thing.

I wrote knowingly

For some reason the word knowingly drives me nuts. In general, any word ending in -ingly is irritating. It's already an adjective. Why must you make it an adverb? There have to be other adverbs in the English language. Pick one of those.

Anyway, knowingly is especially annoying to me, mostly because it usually means nothing.

"I like ice cream," I said.
"Ice cream is delicious," he replied knowingly.

It doesn't tell you anything about how he said it. Does it mean he was confident or smug? Those are descriptions. Knowing is not a descriptive description.

For some reason I become especially irritated by the phrase smiled knowingly. Any time I read something like she smiled knowingly, I want to punch her in the face, whether or not I know who she is or if it's even possible to punch her in the face.

There's nothing inherently wrong with it. It's just annoying.

Badly

Everyone knows you should say, "I don't feel well," instead of "I don't feel good." This is one of those things teachers correct kids on and drill into their heads. So if the opposite of "I feel good" is, "I feel bad," what's the opposite of "I feel well"?

Obviously, it can't be "bad." If "I don't feel good," is incorrect, "I feel bad," must also be incorrect. Right? So what is it? You wouldn't say, "I feel poor," because that sounds like a financial statement. Sure, you could use "unwell," but there has to be a better word, doesn't there?

It's exactly this line of thinking that leads people to the conclusion that saying, "I don't feel well," is the same thing as saying, "I feel badly." "Badly" sounds much more sophisticated than "bad," and we already know "bad" is incorrect.

Wrong. You lose.

Think about the word "badly" for a second. What part of speech is this? If you remember your grammar lessons back in elementary school, you'll remember that the "-ly" suffix indicates an adverb. "Badly" is an adverb, which means it modifies the verb in the sentence (in this case, "feel"). That's not what you're trying to say. Observe:

I write badly = I am a bad writer
I run badly = I am a bad runner
I cook badly = I am a bad cook

See? Of course, this sounds kind of stupid because the sentence structure is funky, and "badly" is just a stupid-sounding word. Anyway, what you're saying when you say, "I feel badly," is "I am a bad feeler." Perhaps this means you have had the pads of your fingertips removed so you're unable to feel things. Or maybe you're emotionally numb. Whatever the case, I'm guessing this is not what you mean to say.

What you mean to say is "I feel sorry for someone," or "I feel unwell." In this case, the correct word is "bad." I know it may not sound super sophisticated, but it's correct.

I feel bad for you = I feel sorry for you
I feel badly for you = I am bad at feeling things for you

Yes, it's a fairly subtle difference. But this is one that can really make you sound stupid if you use it wrong. So why don't you just take "badly" out of your vocabulary and never use it again.

Thank you. Moving on.