According to recent reports, the English language contains over 470,000 words. Compared to other languages, that’s a whole lot of words (many of which we borrowed from other languages, that’s true). According to my limited research, the average 10-year-old has a vocabulary of about 10,000 words. And as reported by The Economist magazine, their online vocabulary test revealed that the average adult vocabulary ranges from 20,000 to 35,000 (including their active and passive vocabularies).
Since English offers such a broad choice of descriptive words, writers are wise to trade the “very” and “really” intensifiers for that are more specific. A suggestion often attributed to Mark Twain states: “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.” Whether or not he actually said that, it’s an interesting proposal.
To make your writing shine, whether fiction or nonfiction, the next time you’re tempted to use “very” or “really,” substitute more definitive terms like these:
Very accurate —> Exact
Very afraid —> Fearful
Very angry —> Furious
Very bad —> Awful
Very boring —> Dull
Very bright —> Luminous
Very busy —> Swamped
Very careful —> Cautious
Very clear —> Obvious
Veryclever —> Intelligent
Very colorful —> Vibrant
Very confused —> Perplexed
Very creative —> Innovative
Very cute —> Adorable
Very dear —> Cherished
Very deep —> Profound
Very detailed —> Meticulous
Very difficult —> Arduous
Very dull —> Tedious
Very eager —> Keen
Very easy —> Effortless
Very empty —> Desolate
Very evil —> Wicked
Very excited —> Thrilled
Very exciting —> Exhilarating
Very expensive —> Costly
Very fancy —> Lavish
Very fast —> Quick
Very fierce —> Ferocious
Very friendly —> Amiable
Very funny —> Hilarious
Very glad —> Overjoyed
Very good —> Excellent
Very great —> Terrific
Very happy —> Ecstatic
Very large —> Huge
Verylively —> Animated
Very long —> Extensive
Very loose —> Slack
Very lovely –> Adorable
Very mean —> Cruel
Very messy —> Slovenly
Very nice —> Kind
Very often —> Frequently
Very old —> Ancient
Very pale —> Ashen
Very perfect —> Flawless
Very powerful —> Compelling
Very quick —> Rapid
Very quiet —> Hushed
Very scared —> Petrified
Very scary —> Chilling
Very sharp —> Keen
Very shiny —> Gleaming
Very short —> Brief
Very shy —> Timid
Very slow —> Sluggish
Very smooth —> Sleek
Very sorry —> Apologetic
Very special —> Exceptional
Very sure —> Certain
Verysweet —> Thoughtful
Very talented—> Gifted
Very thirsty —> Parched
Verytiny —> Minuscule
Very tired —> Exhausted
Very ugly —> Hideous
Very upset —> Distraught
Very weak —> Frail
Very wide —> Expansive
Very willing—> Eager
Very windy —> Blustery
Very wise —> Sage
Very worried —> Distressed
Write on! 8-}
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