Misusing “So” and “Very”
Use so and very with caution.
Today’s topic is something I am very guilty of doing myself, and I’m so excited to give you the rundown: It’s overusing the words so and very.
A listener named Taryn wrote in asking if it is acceptable to write that she is “sooooooo” happy that she is going to the prom, which got me thinking about not only the word so but also the word very.
Both words are often used as intensifiers, meaning they allow you to express that you are happier than just happy.
In the formal writing world, both words are looked down upon, but so (by itself) is sometimes considered worse than very (1).
Misusing So
When you’re speaking, emphasizing the word so seems to add punch to a simple statement—I’m sooooo happy—and this is why Taryn is tempted to write the word with so many O’s: She’s used to saying that she’s “soooooo” happy, which is fine in informal conversation. But style guides say it should be avoided in writing. There’s even a strange discussion in Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage about whether using so for emphasis is a distinctly female failing, with the Dictionary concluding that it’s a universal error even though other commentators link it specifically to women (2).
On the other hand, when so is paired with that, it becomes more acceptable in writing. For example, even though it’s considered bad form to write, “I was so happy,” it’s OK to write, “I was so happy that I jumped for joy.” When you say you are so happy that you jumped for joy, so becomes an indefinite adverb of degree instead of a vague intensifier. In other words, so leads into a thought about how happy you were.
How happy were you?
So happy that you jumped for joy.
The grammar mavens find it much more acceptable when so is linked to another clause in that way (2, 3).
Overusing Very
Unlike with the word so, it’s not considered an actual error to use the word very by itself for emphasis. Nevertheless, most style guides warn against overdoing it. Instead of saying, “I was very hungry,” they encourage you to search for a single more creative adjective–something like “I was famished,” or “I was ravenous.” Replacing two simple words like very hungry with one more descriptive word like ravenous makes your writing tighter and usually more interesting, too (4, 5).
Long-time listeners may remember that the issue of very as an intensifier came up when I talked about modifying absolutes. Most people believe that very is out of place and not the best choice in phrases such as very unique and very dead, where it modifies something that doesn’t have degrees. You’re either dead or you’re not. Very dead isn’t more dead than just plain old dead.
Still, very shouldn’t be banished from the language. Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage notes that E.B. White used the repetition of very to excellent effect in a letter, writing, “It was a day of very white clouds, very blue skies, and very dark green spruces.” White is the co-author of the famous style guide known as Strunk & White and formally titled The Elements of Style, and I agree that the effect would be lost if White had written, “It was a day of snowy clouds, oceanic skies, and evergreen spruces.”
In addition, the Chicago Manual of Style includes phrases very long titles, very wide tables, very small numbers, and so on. It would seem silly if they instead talked about something more creative like lengthy titles, expansive tables, and itty-bitty numbers. Very long, very wide, and very small get the point across more clearly (although Chicago could probably also get away with just long, wide, and small) (6, 7, 8).
Finally, I shouldn’t have to tell you this, but just to be safe, very is spelled v-e-r-y. Vary with an A (v-a-r-y) is a verb that means “to differ or change.”
Summary
Don’t use the word so by itself as an intensifier in formal writing, and be careful when you use the word very. It’s usually better to use a stronger adjective to describe something than to throw a so or a very in front of a weak adjective. You can use very as an intensifier when it creates a nice effect or is the clearest choice, but make sure you aren’t dropping it in just because you’re being lazy.
References
- Brians, P. Common Errors in English Usage. Wilsonville: William, James & Co., 2003, p. 192.
- “So.” Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage. Springfield: Merriam-Webster, 1994, p. 855.
- Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc., https://dictionary.reference.com/browse/so (accessed October 18, 2007).
- Lynch, J. “Wasted Words,” Lynch Guide to Grammar, https://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Writing/w.html#wasted (accessed December 16, 2015).
- Garner, B. “Very.” Garner’s Modern American Usage, 3rd edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2009, p. 842.
- “Older titles and very long titles,” The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th edition. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2010, section 14.106. https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org (accessed December 16, 2015).
- “Adjusting and checking tables,” The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th edition. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2010, section 3.84. https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org (accessed December 16, 2015).
- “Powers of ten,” The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th edition. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2010, section 9.9. https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org (accessed December 16, 2015).
Note: This is an update of an article that originally ran October 19, 2007.
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About the Author
Mignon Fogarty is the founder of Quick and Dirty Tips and the author of seven books on language, including the New York Times bestseller “Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing.” She is an inductee in the Podcasting Hall of Fame, and the show is a five-time winner of Best Education Podcast in the Podcast Awards. She has appeared as a guest expert on the Oprah Winfrey Show and the Today Show. Her popular LinkedIn Learning courses help people write better to communicate better.
