Good at means able to do something well, skilled at it: good at maths, good at cooking. People use it for skills, school subjects, sports and games. If an action follows at, the verb takes -ing: good at drawing.
Want to remember good at?
Write a sentence — we'll show the mistakes right away and suggest how to say it more naturally.
The check is taking longer than usual. Your feedback will appear here automatically.
good at + noun/-ing; really/quite/not very good at; good with + people/children/your hands
- Marta is good at explaining complicated ideas, so she often trains new colleagues.
- I've never been good at cooking, but I can make a decent omelette.
- Are you good at maths, or do you use a calculator for everything?
What changed
First versionOlga is very good in organising events, so she always plans our office parties.
RevisionOlga is very good at organising events, so she always plans our office parties.
In can seem to fit, since a skill feels like a field you're in. But when good means 'skilled', the preposition is at. The form organising stays the same; only the preposition changes.
Good with describes how someone handles people, things or money: She's good with children means she knows how to deal with them; He's good with his hands means he's practical and makes or fixes things well. Good at describes the skill itself: good at teaching.
Your turn
I'm not very ___ remembering names, so I always write them down after a meeting.
Show the answer
good at — The speaker struggles to remember names, so this is about a skill, and good needs at. Good in isn't used with skills like this.
Write about a skill that helps you at work or in your studies: name it and describe a time it came in handy.
I'm good at working with spreadsheets, and last month that helped me spot a serious mistake in our team's budget.
Learn to use new words without mistakes
Write phrases with the words you are learning. LetsWords shows mistakes in usage and grammar, suggests corrections and explains them, and review helps the words stick.