Use these 45 ways to avoid using the word ‘very’ to improve your writing.

Good writers avoid peppering their writing with qualifiers like ‘very’ and ‘really’. They are known as padding or filler words and generally add little to your writing.

According to Collins Dictionary: ‘Padding is unnecessary words or information used to make a piece of writing or a speech longer. Synonyms include: waffle, hot air, verbiage, wordiness.’

Adding modifiers, qualifiers, and unnecessary adverbs and adjectives, weakens your writing. There may be times when you need them, and when you do, use them. If you choose strong, appropriate nouns and verbs, you will need to use them less often.

This post gives you 45 ways to avoid using the padding word ‘very’.

Three Telling Quotes About ‘Very’

“Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very;’ your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be. ~Mark Twain “‘Very’ is the most useless word in the English language and can always come out. More than useless, it is treacherous because it invariably weakens what it is intended to strengthen.” ~Florence King “So avoid using the word ‘very’ because it’s lazy. A man is not very tired, he is exhausted. Don’t use very sad, use morose. Language was invented for one reason, boys – to woo women – and, in that endeavour, laziness will not do. It also won’t do in your essays.” ~N.H. Kleinbaum

45 Ways To Avoid Using The Word ‘Very’

If you enjoyed this, you will love:

by Amanda Patterson

© Amanda Patterson

Top Tip: If you want to learn how to write a book, sign up for our online course.