英语语法：71 Misusing “So” and “Very”

Grammar Girl here.

Today's topic is something I am very guilty of doing myself: 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 (using so with lots of little o's), 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 considered worse than very (1).

Misusing² 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 tempted³ 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 although other commentators⁴ 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 like that (2, 3).

Overusing Very

Let’s move on. Unlike with the word so, it's not considered a mistake to use the word very by itself for emphasis. Nevertheless, most style guides warn against overdoing⁵ 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 ravenous⁶." 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 like very unique and very dead, where it modifies something that doesn't have degrees.

Still, very shouldn't be banished⁷ 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 evergreen⁸ spruces."

In addition, The Chicago Manual of Style has numerous headings that include the word very: “Very Long Titles,” “Very Wide Tables,” “Very Large Numbers,” and so on. It would seem silly if the guide’s titles were something more creative like “Lengthy Titles,” “Expansive Tables,” and “Humongous” Numbers. Very long, very wide, and very large get the point across more clearly (although Chicago could probably also get away with just long, wide, and large) (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

So to summarize, 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.

Announcements

Everyone who subscribes⁹ to our free e-mail newsletter is entered into the book giveaway, and this week Katie and Leesa win a copy of my audiobook, Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips to Clean Up Your Writing. For those of you who have already listened to my audiobook, I'd really appreciate it if you wrote a review at Amazon.com. Apparently¹⁰ having reviews helps a book do better there. 

You can find a transcript¹¹ of this podcast, my contact information, a link to the Facebook quiz to go with this episode, and all the other great Quick and Dirty Tips podcasts at quickanddirtytips.com. This week Money Girl is talking about the pros¹² and cons¹ of investing in gold.
 
That's all. Thanks for listening.

 

1 cons   

n.欺骗，骗局( con的名词复数 )v.诈骗，哄骗( con的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The pros and cons cancel out. 正反两种意见抵消。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We should hear all the pros and cons of the matter before we make a decision. 我们在对这事做出决定之前，应该先听取正反两方面的意见。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 misusing   

v.使用…不当( misuse的现在分词 )；把…派作不正当的用途；虐待；滥用

参考例句：

• This means we must stop misusing them. 也就是说，我们已必须停止滥用抗菌素不可了。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 预防生物武器
• Misusing organic fertilizer may cause a decrease in the soil's quality. 滥用有机肥料可能会导致土地的土质下降。 来自互联网

3 tempted   

v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词）

参考例句：

• I was sorely tempted to complain, but I didn't. 我极想发牢骚，但还是没开口。
• I was tempted by the dessert menu. 甜食菜单馋得我垂涎欲滴。

4 commentators   

n.评论员( commentator的名词复数 )；时事评论员；注释者；实况广播员

参考例句：

• Sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 体育解说员翻来覆去说着同样的词语，真叫人腻烦。
• Television sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 电视体育解说员说来说去就是那么几句话，令人厌烦。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 overdoing   

v.做得过分( overdo的现在分词 )；太夸张；把…煮得太久；（工作等）过度

参考例句：

• He's been overdoing things recently. 近来他做事过分努力。 来自辞典例句
• You think I've been overdoing it with the work thing? 你认为我对工作的关注太过分了吗？ 来自电影对白

6 ravenous   

adj.极饿的，贪婪的

参考例句：

• The ravenous children ate everything on the table.饿极了的孩子把桌上所有东西吃掉了。
• Most infants have a ravenous appetite.大多数婴儿胃口极好。

7 banished   

v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was banished to Australia, where he died five years later. 他被流放到澳大利亚，五年后在那里去世。
• He was banished to an uninhabited island for a year. 他被放逐到一个无人居住的荒岛一年。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 evergreen   

n.常青树；adj.四季常青的

参考例句：

• Some trees are evergreen;they are called evergreen.有的树是常青的，被叫做常青树。
• There is a small evergreen shrub on the hillside.山腰上有一小块常绿灌木丛。

9 subscribes   

v.捐助( subscribe的第三人称单数 )；签署，题词；订阅；同意

参考例句：

• The library subscribes to 40 magazines. 这个图书馆订购四十种杂志。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He subscribes to a number of journals concerning his subject. 他订阅了许多与他的学科有关的杂志。 来自辞典例句

10 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

11 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

12 pros   

abbr.prosecuting 起诉；prosecutor 起诉人；professionals 自由职业者；proscenium （舞台）前部n.赞成的意见( pro的名词复数 )；赞成的理由；抵偿物；交换物

参考例句：

• The pros and cons cancel out. 正反两种意见抵消。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We should hear all the pros and cons of the matter before we make a decision. 我们在对这事做出决定之前，应该先听取正反两方面的意见。 来自《简明英汉词典》