Verybefore adverbs and adjectives
We useverybefore adverbs and adjectives to add emphasis. It means ‘to a great degree’:
He drivesveryfast.
The letter cameveryquickly.
It’sverycold in here.
We need averyhigh ladder to get onto the roof.
When not to usevery
Not before-edforms in passive voice
Weusevery muchorwell, notvery, before-edforms in passive voiceverb phrases with verbs such asenjoy, hate, know, like, love:
She isvery much likedat school.
Not:She is very liked…
He iswell-knownin his village as a trouble-maker.
Not:He is very known…
The concert wasvery much enjoyedby everyone.
Not:The concert was very enjoyed…
Not before comparatives
We usevery muchnotveryto add emphasis to comparative adverbs and adjectives:
Omah isvery much betterthan Ian at basketball.
Not:Omah is very better than Ian…
London isvery much biggerthan Naples.
Not:London is very bigger than Naples.
Not before some superlatives
We can useverybefore superlative adjectives that end in -est(includingbestandworst), but we don’t use it before superlatives which usethe most, we usually useby far:
Kristin isthe very oldestchild in the class.
This isthe very lowestprice I can offer.
I think watching television isby far the most harmfulactivity for a child.
Not: …is the very most harmful activity for a child.
Not before ungradable adjectives
Some adjectives are absolute, such asdead, unique. We do not usually useverybefore these ungradable adjectives:
The king wasdead.
Not:The king was very dead.
He ismarried.
Not:He is very married.
Adjectives which describe an extreme quality can be modified byabsolutely, completely, reallyandtotallybut not normally withvery. Some common examples are:
amazing | excellent | horrified |
awful | exceptional | huge |
brilliant | fantastic | perfect |
delighted | furious | stunning |
essential | horrible | terrible |
Her dress wasabsolutelystunning.
Not:Her dress was very stunning.
That singer isreallyawful.
Not:That singer is very awful.
It is areallyfantastic film.
Not:It is a very fantastic film.
See also:
Adjectives
Not very
We can usenot veryto soften a negative comment:
Ray is usuallynot verypunctual.(more direct:Ray is always late.)
This pasta isn’tverynice, is it?(more direct:This pasta is not nice.)