Some words seem to lead a charming life, able to take on new meanings and sensations whenever they feel like it, without attracting the slightest bit of disparagement. Runfor example, has produced dozens of meanings, and no language critic has yet compared it to literally. Whenever run adds a new meaning that people more or less accept it (“Runyou’re a crazy word, never change…unless you feel like it, and then you just go ahead and define whatever you feel like means”).
Other words fail to catch on, despite their best efforts to lead a quiet and productive existence, and constantly find themselves opposed in one way or another. An uncertain specimen in this category is from very. Can anyone see what’s wrong? very, you ask? So a lot.
One way very can stab the unsuspecting writer when it is used with an unequivocal closeness to a past participle that has not yet attained sufficient adjective status. Don’t pretend you don’t know what we mean; You know Exactly what we mean… oh, you don’t know what we mean?
In the 19th century, some authors of usage decided that it was okay to use adverbs. very to modify adjectives, but it is not okay to use it to modify the past participle of a verb. “I am very warm” would be acceptable, while “I am very warm” would not. One problem with this rule is that the past participles of many verbs eventually pass their citizenship test and become adjectives. So “the room is very hot” is an acceptable usage veryand so is “the discussion is very active”.
You will be able to trust your ears when deciding whether very is true for your past participle. And if you still don’t understand the minutiae of this, we’ve written about it more extensively here.
In modern work, complaints are more common about very non-grammar nature; it is simply overused. Countless writing guides advise their readers to avoid the word, suggesting to choose angry more than very angry. It should be noted that this is advice, and not a rule. And as often happens when giving advice, suggestions are more persuasive if they are wrongly attributed to a notable Person (usually Mark Twain, Winston Churchill or Albert Einstein).
Mark Twain offered this advice to writers: “Substitute the word ‘damn’ every time (sic) you tend to write ‘very’; your editor will delete it and the article will go back to normal.”—John Willard, How to use English2017
There is little evidence that Twain ever spoke or wrote these words (the quote did not appear until the late 20th century). It is good to suggest against the prose in it very appears every second line, but there’s no need to bolster your argument by fabricating.
The strangest complaint about very is something we’re happy to report that has never really gone unnoticed (and please don’t try to make it happen): that the overuse of the word is a feminine trait. 1916 New York Sun make an editorial, titled Study of adverbs and adjectivesattacked President Woodrow Wilson for using the word very (they also don’t care about his word usage straight And honest). The relevant quote is lengthy, but is worth reprinting several times, both for its sheer absurdity and its use of the statistically uncertain phrase “curious about the matter of rhetorical bias.”
Since the time of the famous campaign correspondence between Hon. Woodrow Wilson and Colonel George Harvey, curious about the rhetorical bias of personality, noted the President’s irresistible fondness for the word “very”. Perhaps more subconsciously than consciously on the President’s part, this needless expertise seems to force itself into position before his adjectives. The excessive use of the adverb “very” is considered a prominent feature of femininity; but no woman works harder than this statesman and philosopher.— New York SunFebruary 12, 1916
The immense stupidity of the Sun’s claim may shock those reading this, so let’s make a quick recap on the matter. very. You can use very before a past participle, unless it sounds bad, in which case you shouldn’t use it. You can use very as an intensifier before adjectives like angry, unless you use it too much, in which case you should use less. And in the matter of rhetorical inclinations, you should use very whenever you feel like it.
Categories: Usage Notes
Source: vothisaucamau.edu.vn
