Very before adverbs and adjectives
We use very before adverbs and adjectives to add emphasis. It means ‘to a great degree’:
He drives very fast.
The letter came very quickly.
It’s very cold in here.
We need a very high ladder to get onto the roof.
When not to use very
Not before -ed forms in passive voice
We use very much or well, not very, before -ed forms in passive voice verb phrases with verbs such as enjoy, hate, know, like, love:
She is very much liked at school.
Not: She is very liked …
He is well-known in his village as a trouble-maker.
Not: He is very known …
The concert was very much enjoyed by everyone.
Not: The concert was very enjoyed …
Not before comparatives
We use very much not very to add emphasis to comparative adverbs and adjectives:
Omah is very much better than Ian at basketball.
Not: Omah is very better than Ian …
London is very much bigger than Naples.
Not: London is very bigger than Naples.
Not before some superlatives
We can use very before superlative adjectives that end in —est (including best and worst), but we don’t use it before superlatives which use the most, we usually use by far:
Kristin is the very oldest child in the class.
This is the very lowest price I can offer.
I think watching television is by far the most harmful activity for a child.
Not: … is the very most harmful activity for a child.
Not before ungradable adjectives
Some adjectives are absolute, such as dead, unique. We do not usually use very before these ungradable adjectives:
The king was dead.
Not: The king was very dead.
He is married.
Not: He is very married.
Adjectives which describe an extreme quality can be modified by absolutely, completely, really and totally but not normally with very. Some common examples are:
|
amazing |
excellent |
horrified |
|
awful |
exceptional |
huge |
|
brilliant |
fantastic |
perfect |
|
delighted |
furious |
stunning |
|
essential |
horrible |
terrible |
Her dress was absolutely stunning.
Not: Her dress was very stunning.
That singer is really awful.
Not: That singer is very awful.
It is a really fantastic film.
Not: It is a very fantastic film.
Not very
We can use not very to soften a negative comment:
Ray is usually not very punctual. (more direct: Ray is always late.)
This pasta isn’t very nice, is it? (more direct: This pasta is not nice.)
Look at these two sentences:
- The coffee is very hot, but I can drink it.
- The coffee is too hot. I can’t drink it.
We use VERY and TOO before an adjective.
Very + adjective … and… Too + adjective
It both sentences the adjective is hot so we say very hot and too hot.
What is the difference in meaning?
Very hot means it is hot, but possible to drink.
Too hot means it is NOT possible to drink, probably because I will burn myself.
Very means a high degree or a very large amount.
Too normally has a negative meaning.
Let’s look at another example:
- The fridge is very heavy, but Mike can lift it.
Here we are saying it is difficult for Mike but it is still possible for him to lift it.
- The fridge is too heavy. Steve can’t lift it.
Here we are saying it is NOT possible for Steve to lift it, it is impossible because it is too heavy for him. He needs to eat more spinach.
You can see that in this sentence TOO has a negative meaning again.
One more example:
- It was very cold, but we played football anyway.
Yes, it was difficult but still possible. My legs were frozen but we still had a good time.
- It was too cold to play football, so we stayed at home.
Again TOO has a negative meaning. Too cold means it was excessively cold so it wasn’t possible to play football.
Note: we do NOT say… it was very much cold… or too much cold.
These are NOT correct in English.
We will see more about too much and too many in another lesson.
Very + Adverb
After VERY we can use an adverb. There is a verb before these so the structure is:
Verb + Very + Adverb
Our example sentences:
- She ran very quickly and won the race. She didn’t just run quickly… she ran VERY quickly.
- We played very badly and lost.
Note: it is better to use another adverb instead of very + adverb.
For example, instead of saying very badly, you could say terribly.
- We played terribly and lost.
Too + Adverb
We can also create a sentence using TOO instead of VERY.
Verb + Too + Adverb
- He drove too quickly and had an accident.
- I arrived too early and nobody was there.
- He speaks too quietly. I can’t hear what he says.
You can see again that TOO usually has a negative meaning or result.
He drove too quickly… and the negative result of this… he had an accident.
I arrived too early… and the negative result of this… I had nobody to talk to.
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#1
Hi teachers,
I found this definition in one of my books:
The word «very» is used to strengthen the meaning of both adjectives and adverbs.
Examples:
It was very hot.
She drove very carefully.
My question:
To explain the meaning of «strengthen», can I use both verbs «intensify/reinforce»?
Thanks in advance.
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#6
I think «intensify» works a little better than «reinforce» with this meaning, TL. «Reinforce» sounds a little vague to me.
You can use «intensify», but «reinforce» does not really work in this context, in my opinion.
Intensify» is perfect. It is a better description than «strengthen».
«Reinforce» is correct in its second meaning in our dictionary («make more forceful or effective»). But that isn’t the meaning I usually think of, when I see «reinforce». I usually think it means «do the same job as before, but with more certainty» like reinforcing a floor.
And don’t forget that the noun for such words is «intensifier».
I won’t Andygc. Intensifiers have little meaning by themselves, but they «intensify» other adjectives, adverbs, or verbs.
Thank you all for your replies and interest. My students will get the best part of it. Strengthen was a really difficult word.
TL
It’s an adverb because it modifies an adjective — adverbs modify anything that isn’t a noun. In this case, the adjective is ‘good’. Very can be used as an adjective, however, in such phrases as ‘the very soul of man’; here it lends weight to the noun.
answered May 28, 2016 at 21:10
AngelosAngelos
3913 silver badges14 bronze badges
3
«Very» is acting as an adverb in your sentence because it is describing the adjective «good.»
An adjective describes something.
You can’t say, «Questlove is a very drummer,» so you see it cannot act as an adjective in this sentence.
A good rule of thumb is to put a noun right after the word you are wondering is an adjective. If it makes sense, it’s most likely an adjective.
Hope this helps you. =)
answered May 29, 2016 at 4:19
