The Language Perfectionist: Will You Be Very Pleased to Learn This?

by Don Hauptman (07/26/2008)

It’s an old rule, but one that’s still commonly violated: Minimize, or avoid entirely, the use of very. The word is usually a sign of lazy, careless writing.

Here are some examples, pulled from an Internet search:

  • "A very nasty period is soon to be upon us - be prepared."
  • "Things go along very smoothly, the house keeps on running."
  • "[The new Blackberry model is] small, light, but still with a very usable keyboard."

In all these cases, the word very could be expunged with no loss.

Theodore M. Bernstein, one of my favorite usage gurus, advised: "Inexperienced writers tend to use the word too much. Often its use is self-defeating; the writer intends to intensify what he is saying, but instead weakens it."

Yet even Bernstein conceded that the word has its legitimate uses, especially in idiomatic speech: "Yes, Mr. Johnson is very much alive." "Will dinner be served at eight o’clock? Very likely."

When you review and revise your writing, very should be on your list of words to look for and ruthlessly edit out - unless you can justify including it.

[Ed Note: For more than three decades, Don Hauptman was an award-winning independent direct-response copywriter and creative consultant. He is author of The Versatile Freelancer, an e-book forthcoming from AWAI, that shows writers and other creative professionals how to diversify their careers into critiquing, consulting, training, and speaking.]

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