When learning English, it’s natural to wonder about small but important differences in sentence construction. One common question is why we say ‘I am not good at running’ but not ‘I am not a good swimmer.’ This question highlights an interesting aspect of the English language that involves adjectives and nouns in phrases like ‘good at’ and ‘a good’ and how they affect the meaning of a sentence.
Understanding ‘Good At’ and ‘A Good’
In English, the phrase ‘good at’ is used to describe someone’s skill or ability in a specific activity. For example, ‘I am good at running’ means that the person has the ability or talent for running. The adjective ‘good’ is followed by the preposition ‘at’ and then the activity. This structure is common for describing proficiency in skills or tasks.
The Difference Between ‘Good At’ and ‘A Good’
On the other hand, ‘a good’ is used when you’re describing a specific noun, not a skill or ability. For example, ‘a good swimmer’ refers to a person who is skilled at swimming, but the construction here is different. The article ‘a’ refers to the noun ‘swimmer,’ making it a countable person or object, and it doesn’t directly describe a skill the person has. Therefore, when talking about someone’s ability, we use ‘good at,’ and when referring to a specific noun, we use ‘a good.’
Why ‘I Am Not Good at Running’ Is Correct
The sentence ‘I am not good at running’ is grammatically correct because ‘good at’ is the proper expression to describe someone’s ability to perform an activity or skill. ‘Running’ here is a gerund (a verb acting as a noun), and the structure ‘good at + gerund’ is used to express someone’s proficiency.
Why ‘I Am Not a Good Swimmer’ Is Correct
Similarly, ‘I am not a good swimmer’ is also correct because it follows the proper usage of ‘a good’ with a noun (swimmer). In this case, ‘swimmer’ is a person who performs the action of swimming, so the sentence focuses on the person, not the act of swimming itself.
Summary
In short, the reason we say ‘I am not good at running’ and ‘I am not a good swimmer’ is because of the different grammatical structures in English. ‘Good at’ is used when referring to someone’s skill in an activity, while ‘a good’ is used when describing a specific person or thing. Understanding these subtle differences will help you construct sentences more accurately in English!
コメント