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Replace the “very” in your sentence

losethevery.com

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Re: Replace the “very” in your sentence

#241

Post by greenthrow »

Eupraxias wrote: post #232
KaiserPro wrote: post #187

As a native speaker, my reply is: no[1] Firstly this appears to be a way to boast about the size of your vocabulary. That's great, but, frankly you are walking into a bigarsed zone of unintended connotations. Its more than likely to do the exact opposite. Second, half of the suggestions are wrong. for example "very ashamed" is not the same as repentant. shame and regret are two similar things, but not the same. same…

The point is that when you use "very", you reveal that you have not attained that level of intellect which realizes that "very" is extraneous almost every time. This insight usually comes with a large amount of time invested in reading challenging books. It has little to do with expansive vocabulary, and more to do with understanding word choice and avoiding pretension. We pick "very" when we have not trained ourselv…

This is very bad advice.

Re: Replace the “very” in your sentence

#242

Post by kylebyproxy »

protomyth wrote: post #16

very + unique = incomparable Nice, although a rather large group of TV viewers of The West Wing know that "unique means one of a kind, something can't be very unique"[0]. It still amazes me how some of the quotes from that show stick with me all these years later. 0) https://youtu.be/Fvb1e4-YgRE?t=162 or the whole scene https://youtu.be/Fvb1e4-YgRE

Adding a degree to uniqueness would describe the delta between it and its nearest relative. Hence, "very unique" would mean something closer to exceptional or "off-the-charts" and is a perfectly reasonable construction. I get the impression the anti-very crowd haven't actually thought too deeply on the matter

Re: Replace the “very” in your sentence

#243

Post by jonnycomputer »

davidkunz wrote: post #198

In programming, mathematics and physics, our goal is to express our thoughts in a concise way without introducing too many different concepts. Applied to language, the word 'very' is great. It can be used in many occasions and is generally understood. What's wrong with that?

It's common. Indeed so very common one might call it not just banal but characteristic of the hoi polloi, that is, uncouth.

(:

Re: Replace the “very” in your sentence

#244

Post by greenthrow »

There's a lot more words than "very" which are popular verbal ticks in the modern world. "Really" is another one. But instead of worrying about one that a rando on the internet made a site about; record yourself speaking and watch yourself back consciously. Learn to be an editor for yourself.

For most people, there's more important ways they could improve their written and spoken communication than worrying about extraneous words.

Re: Replace the “very” in your sentence

#245

Post by throwamon »

Daub wrote: post #212
KaiserPro wrote: post #187

As a native speaker, my reply is: no[1] Firstly this appears to be a way to boast about the size of your vocabulary. That's great, but, frankly you are walking into a bigarsed zone of unintended connotations. Its more than likely to do the exact opposite. Second, half of the suggestions are wrong. for example "very ashamed" is not the same as repentant. shame and regret are two similar things, but not the same. same…

> All of you who want to sound either more "well read", or more native, this website will lead you astray. I wholeheartedly agree that excessive and unnecessary verbiage can be a tiresome impediment to the clear transmission of ideas. That being said ‘the more words you know, the more things you can say’ as my old English teacher used to say. A wide vocabulary is particularly useful when addressing complex subjects.

I know this dude who can say anything you can think of using only two words.

Re: Replace the “very” in your sentence

#246

Post by KaiserPro »

Eupraxias wrote: post #232
KaiserPro wrote: post #187

As a native speaker, my reply is: no[1] Firstly this appears to be a way to boast about the size of your vocabulary. That's great, but, frankly you are walking into a bigarsed zone of unintended connotations. Its more than likely to do the exact opposite. Second, half of the suggestions are wrong. for example "very ashamed" is not the same as repentant. shame and regret are two similar things, but not the same. same…

The point is that when you use "very", you reveal that you have not attained that level of intellect which realizes that "very" is extraneous almost every time. This insight usually comes with a large amount of time invested in reading challenging books. It has little to do with expansive vocabulary, and more to do with understanding word choice and avoiding pretension. We pick "very" when we have not trained ourselv…

whoooooosh is the sound of a joke flying overhead.

> Smart people notice when someone omits words like "very", because they struggle with the same issue.

Snobs notice. You are confusing snobbery with intelligence.

there is nothing wrong with very, some people obviously are very passionate about it's use. However to imply its as detrimental to conveyed intellect as a malapropism is frankly bollocks[1]. Keep using very, it'll make you happy.

[1]imply it makes you sound stupid, like you've got a word wrong, for my ESL friends

Re: Replace the “very” in your sentence

#247

Post by kabouseng »

Eupraxias wrote: post #232
KaiserPro wrote: post #187

As a native speaker, my reply is: no[1] Firstly this appears to be a way to boast about the size of your vocabulary. That's great, but, frankly you are walking into a bigarsed zone of unintended connotations. Its more than likely to do the exact opposite. Second, half of the suggestions are wrong. for example "very ashamed" is not the same as repentant. shame and regret are two similar things, but not the same. same…

The point is that when you use "very", you reveal that you have not attained that level of intellect which realizes that "very" is extraneous almost every time. This insight usually comes with a large amount of time invested in reading challenging books. It has little to do with expansive vocabulary, and more to do with understanding word choice and avoiding pretension. We pick "very" when we have not trained ourselv…

Smart people simply don't waste their time with such trite considerations such as this. Smart / Successful people achieve success on an international stage, and rub shoulders with a large amount of non-native English speaking people who are absolutely brilliant, but might not have the vocabulary of a native speaker. As such they try to limit to speech to be as simple and clear as possible.

Re: Replace the “very” in your sentence

#248

Post by WastingMyTime89 »

denton-scratch wrote: post #236
madeofpalk wrote: post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I thought so (as an english-as-first-language), but I've met a bunch of people around the world who didn't know what ESL meant. I get the feeling the phrase is most known in American.

ESL is standard in English english too.

Never heard it in England as a foreign student in a British university.

Re: Replace the “very” in your sentence

#249

Post by Eupraxias »

kabouseng wrote: post #247
Eupraxias wrote: post #232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The point is that when you use "very", you reveal that you have not attained that level of intellect which realizes that "very" is extraneous almost every time. This insight usually comes with a large amount of time invested in reading challenging books. It has little to do with expansive vocabulary, and more to do with understanding word choice and avoiding pretension. We pick "very" when we have not trained ourselv…

Smart people simply don't waste their time with such trite considerations such as this. Smart / Successful people achieve success on an international stage, and rub shoulders with a large amount of non-native English speaking people who are absolutely brilliant, but might not have the vocabulary of a native speaker. As such they try to limit to speech to be as simple and clear as possible.

Correct, they don't waste their time. It is baked in.

Re: Replace the “very” in your sentence

#250

Post by Eupraxias »

greenthrow wrote: post #241
Eupraxias wrote: post #232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The point is that when you use "very", you reveal that you have not attained that level of intellect which realizes that "very" is extraneous almost every time. This insight usually comes with a large amount of time invested in reading challenging books. It has little to do with expansive vocabulary, and more to do with understanding word choice and avoiding pretension. We pick "very" when we have not trained ourselv…

This is very bad advice.

See, it sounds much more conclusive to say...

This is bad advice.

Adding "very" is subjective. Omitting makes it sound like fact. All of this push-back is... cute.

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