Most people need clarification on the difference between good in or good at. The correct use of prepositions in grammar is essential for communication skills. These confusing terms are where people commit mistakes.
Imagine you’re at a birthday party. After the cake-cutting ceremony, your friends gather around, reminiscing about happy moments. Your friend announces, “I’m good in playing guitar.” You can’t help him at this moment because you know when to use good in and good at.
This common confusion between “good in” and “good at” can happen. Native speakers and English learners struggle with using the prepositions “in” and “at” with the adjective “good.” The prepositions seem similar. But, small differences can change your sentence’s meaning.
In this article, we’ll break down the proper usage of ‘good in’ and ‘good at’ to help you avoid common mistakes. We have also provided a video. It can help you understand the major difference between these two prepositions.
Table of Contents
Differences Between “good in” and “good at”
This table shows the key differences between “good at” vs “good in.”
| Good at | Good in | |
| Usage | Describes proficiency or skill in specific tasks. | Describes overall competence or suitability in specific situation. |
| Examples | He is good at playing the piano. | He is good in math class. |
| Focus | Describes overall competence or suitability in a specific situation. | Emphasizes suitability within a broader context or environment. |
| Prepositions | “At” is used with “good” to indicate skill in a specific area. | “In” is used with “good” to indicate competence. |
| Context | Commonly used when referring to skills, talents, or abilities. | Often used when referring to characteristics or qualities beneficial within certain circumstances. |
When to Use Good at
Before we know when to use good at, we look at some sentences:
He is not very good in chess. (Grammatically incorrect)
Ali is good in solving problems. (Grammatically incorrect)
Do you know what’s wrong with here? Well, there is something wrong both sentences are incorrect. Because of the preposition in these sentences, we should use “at”.
It should be:
He is not very good at chess. (Grammatically Correct)
Ali is good in solving problems. (Grammatically Correct)
So, When a person is good at something or good at doing something. We should use “at” with good.
When to Use Good in
“Good in” something and that something is generally a noun. We often use good “in” when we talk about an academic study.
For Example:
I am not very good in science.
He is good in foreign languages. So, we can use good in some kind of a field of study.
Conclusion
To sum up we discussed the difference between good at and good in. A lot of people have trouble with prepositions and what should I say after “good”.
So, “Good at” is used “when a person is good at something or good at doing something.” “At” is used with “good” to indicate skill in a specific area.
“Good in” is used when we talk about academic study. For example, John is good in Maths.
So, hopefully, you understand the basic difference between “Good in” or “Good at”
FAQs
The most common mistake is using “good in” when “good at” is the correct preposition.
Use “good at” when referring to skills, and talents. Use “good in” when referring to overall competence, typically involving a field of study.