OK, I know the general rules on when to use well versus good. However, a friend and I do not agree on which of the following is correct:

It would do you GOOD to take a course at UCLA.

or

It would do you WELL to take a course at UCLA.

Please let me know which is correct and why (the grammatical explanation.

Thanks!

hello i needtochta

'It would do you good' is the correct version.

This is quite a common mistake by those who generally understand adverbs.

The verb is "to do good". "To do well" has a different meaning.
It is possible to do good well and to do good badly.

Another example:

I went to Africa to do good.

I know that sounds odd, but it's correct.

It sounds less odd if you say:

I went to Africa to do some good.

They are identical in structure.

I hope that helped.

Craig,

Thanks for the response. Is there anything to which I can refer my friend to prove that I am correct? Thanks!

Joseph,

Unfortunately, I am currently away from home, and I don't have access to my books. You are right though. (Perhaps another reader can supply the evidence.)

If your friend would like to bet £10,000 on it, I'd take him up on that bet!

Regards

Craig