How do we answer, Scooter? People are asking, ‘How’s the training going?’ What do we say?

“Say ‘Thanks for asking.’”

I think that’s not quite enough.

“Tell them I’ve only had one session and they already know about that.”

I’ll explain that the trainer got sick, so the second session has been rescheduled.

“That works. There’s no hurry. I’m doing good.”

Well.

“What?”

You’re doing well.

“That’s what I said.”

No, you said ‘I’m doing good.’

“Because I am. “I just did the new “Hide!” command perfectly. That’s 29 commands down pretty pat, and you said, ‘Good!”

Right, I was ascribing good to you. Approval. You, however, were evaluating an action of yours. The word I used, “good,” is a noun used as an adjective. You know, as in ‘Good job.’ In your case, you needed the adverb, ‘well’ as in modifying an action, a satisfactory one. You did well.

“Have you been reading John McWhorter again?

Well, some.

“’Well some’?  Is that ‘well’ you just used an adjective or an adverb?”

Neither. That ‘well’ is, well, well beyond explanation. No one knows what to call it. Sometimes it is an exclamation, like “Well, I never!”

Sometimes it is a pause. You know, like when your dad says to your mom, ‘Will you make cornbread,’ and she scrunches up her face and says, ‘Well . . . . 

Sometimes it’s a question, “Well, did you?”  Which can lead to the word being the end of a conversation. “Well, that’s what I thought.”

“Well, what shall we say about my training? How am I doing?”

You’re doing well, very well. I’m proud of you.

“That’s good.”