Delete ‘very’

When I revise essays with my students, I suggest deleting the word “very.”

Why? they ask.

I tell them that “very” weakens writing, not strengthens it.

How can that possibly be? they wonder.  Isn’t “very” meant to intensify a word?

Yes, it is meant to strengthen an adjective.  But the consensus of writing experts is that “very” weakens ideas, not strengthens them.

So what is a writer to do?

• Replace weak or mediocre adjectives with strong ones, according to writerswrite.co.va. Instead of writing “afraid,” write “terrified.”  Instead of “old,” write “ancient.”  Instead of “fast,” write “quick.”
• According to prowritingadi.com, very has no “inherent” meaning.  “Very” contains not enough new information to be useful to the reader.  Instead write strong verbs and adjectives.

Lists of weak words and stronger synonyms are available online.  Just search for “How to replace ‘very’ and you will find many.

If you are a teacher, you can discourage students from using “very” by having a contest.  On a given written or speaking assignment, students who don’t use “very” could put their names in a bowl, and at the end of a week or a month or an assignment, you could draw a name and provide a small prize.

You could write a passage using weak verbs and adjectives and the word “very,” and see what alternatives small groups of students can come up with to replace the weak words.

Using “very” is a habit like overusing any word (just, like, then, and so, for example).  With practice, students will self-edit the word out of their writing.