SAT Preparation – En "Well" It’s okay?

In the SAT essay, is it acceptable to use the word well?

The short answer is no. Well everything is wrong. Use the two word form, it’s okay.

However, this requires a bit of explanation. Well it is now widely used, particularly in informal settings such as blogs, emails, text messages, instant messages, tweets, and even some classrooms. Many well-known writers, including James Joyce and Langston Hughes, have used it in literature. It is ubiquitous in written dialogue and, sadly, in student work.

In fact, according to Merriam-Webster Online, the single word well It has been in use since 1887.

The two word phrase it’s okay was used more than five hundred years ago, spelled well by Chaucer around the year 1385. The word fell out of favor, then returned to common usage later, when Percy Bysshe Shelley used it in Scenes from Goethe’s Faust.

In any case, it’s okay it is the much older way. It remains the standard for use in formal writing today. Well it should be used, if at all, in informal writing only.

Whenever you write, it is important to keep your audience in mind. When you write your SAT essay, you are writing for a group of raters who are, for the most part, English teachers and grammarians. I look askance myself well in formal writing, and even informal. Your SAT scorer will likely do the same. Students who don’t understand the difference between formal and informal writing run the risk of missing crucial points once pencil number two hits the paper.

Why risk it? Stick to formal writing on the SAT. It’s okay?

To learn more about studying for the SAT, read How To Succeed With SAT Prep