Is it OK to say "very"?
Plus learn some useful adjectives
Hello!
I’ve seen a number of posts on Facebook recently which are telling English learners to stop saying “very”.
These kinds of posts really annoy me because they are not true!
You CAN say “very”!
Even worse, some of these posts say things like “wealthy = very rich”. But “wealthy” and “rich” are the same. One is not stronger than the other.
Or they say that adjectives like “happy” are too basic and adjectives like “delighted” are more “native”, when in fact, “happy” might be more natural.
Don’t misunderstand me. It IS useful to learn some stronger adjectives but that does NOT mean that there’s anything wrong with “very” or with the more “basic” adjectives.
I’m going to give you a list of adjective pairs and then I’ll explain to you a bit more about when and how to use them.
Strong and normal adjectives
Here’s the list. How many of these do you already know?
freezing = very cold
scorching/boiling = very hot
hilarious = very funny
tiny / minute / miniscule = very small
enormous / huge = very big
gorgeous = very pretty/beautiful
hideous = very ugly
filthy = very dirty
spotless = very clean
exhausted = very tired
over the moon = very happy
depressed / inconsolable / heartbroken = very sad
brilliant / excellent / fantastic = very good
brilliant = very clever
awful / terrible = very bad
lovely = very nice
furious = very angry
infuriating = very annoying
fascinating = very interesting
delighted = very pleased
terrified = very scared
starving = very hungry
parched = very thirsty
ancient = very old
delicious = very tasty
astonished = very surprised
deafening = very loud
essential / vital = very important
bizarre = very strange
bewildering = very confusing
When is it OK to say “very”?
The most important thing to understand is that “very” is an informal word.
This means it’s OK to use it in conversation and also in informal writing.
I looked at my WhatsApp chat with my best friend and discovered that we use “very” a lot! We even use it when there’s a more “advanced” alternative. It’s “very hot” today. There’s nothing wrong with that sentence.
Sometimes there isn’t a strong adjective and you have no choice but to use “very”! I can’t think of another word for “very popular” or “very helpful” for example.
When is it better not to use “very”?
There ARE times when you might want to avoid “very” or at least use it less.
Colourful and dramatic words are good in creative writing, so “furious” is better than “very angry”. “Very” is often considered to be a bit boring in a story.
Academic writing tends to be formal in style, so we might not use “very”. Plus “very” is vague and academic writing should be clear and specific. So for example, “essential” is better than “very important”.
(Don’t use the dramatic and colourful words in academic writing though! They are better for creative writing!)
If you want to do an English exam, you want to show that you know a good range of vocabulary. Using some stronger adjectives is a good way to do that, especially in your writing. But if you use too many, especially when you speak, you may start to sound unnatural so find a good balance.
A few more important things to know
1. Apart from learning the strong adjectives, there are some other words which you can use instead of “very”. Try “really”, “so” or “extremely”.
2. “Too” is NOT the same as “very”. When I use “too”, it often has a negative meaning. If I say the weather is “too hot”, it means I’m uncomfortable. If the tea is “too hot”, I can’t drink it yet. “Very hot” has no emotion. It’s just stronger than “hot”.
3. You CAN’T use “very” with those strong adjectives. You can’t say “very furious” or “very freezing”. However, you CAN say “absolutely furious” or “absolutely freezing” for extra emphasis. You can read a whole lesson about this here.
I hope this helps!
See you next week.
Katie 💙
PS My Friday emails are free for everyone and that’s not going to change. Everyone is welcome here, whether you subscribe for free or upgrade to paid.
But if you decide to upgrade, you’ll have access to exclusive content and extra learning opportunities. You’ll get:
💙 access to my library of past locked lessons and PDFs, plus new lessons as they are added each month.
💙 extra emails with learning tips and discounts on my e-books.
💙 an invitation to join a monthly Zoom call so you can practise your English in a small, friendly group, ask me questions, and get direct feedback.
It's a very helpful for me ☺️
I agree that it is perfectly fine to use the word very. I did have a professor once who called it a “non-word“.
But I also had teachers who said “ain’t“ isn’t a word, either.
Honestly, many of the people who make that claim simply want views or likes on their posts, and are willing to say anything semi-controversial to get them.