Speak Smart: Drop "Very" and Use These Words Instead! (P-S)

Want to know the best way to exhibit your communicative competence without resorting to flowery words and complicated compositions? Ensure the relevance and accuracy of your word choice during your CELPIP Philippines preparation period.

Don't beat around the bush and avoid using words that contribute nothing to your speech and writings. Also, avoid using the word "very." Instead, use concise adjectives like the ones discussed in the list below.

	What to use instead of “very”	Examples
very painful	excruciating, agonizing, harrowing	The gash on his arm was jagged, open, and bleeding. It looks very painful.  The gash on his arm was jagged, open, and bleeding. It looks excruciating.
very pale	ashen, pallid	Your face is very pale, and you look like you’re going to collapse. Your face is ashen, and you look like you’re going to collapse.
very perfect	flawless, unblemished, immaculate	Her work is very perfect.   Her work is flawless.
very poor	destitute, poverty-stricken, impoverished	Even though his salary doesn’t cover his daily expenses, he never considered himself to be very poor. Even though his salary doesn’t cover his daily expenses, he never considered himself to be impoverished.
very powerful	compelling	That’s a very powerful argument. That’s a compelling argument.
very pretty	beautiful, alluring, gorgeous	His penmanship is very pretty. His penmanship is beautiful.
very quick	rapid, brisk, breakneck	We are going to take a very quick walk in the park. We are going to take a brisk walk in the park.
very quiet	hushed, muted	The CELPIP test preparation students talked in very quiet tones. The CELPIP test preparation students talked in hushed tones.
very rainy	pouring	It’s very rainy outside. It’s pouring outside.
very rich	wealthy, affluent, well-off	It’s no secret that her family is very rich. It’s no secret that her family is well-off.
very sad	sorrowful, heartrending	That was a very sad story. That was a heartrending story.
very scared	terrified, petrified, frightened	I was very scared. I was terrified.
very scary	horrifying, chilling, frightening	The film is very scary. The film is chilling.
very serious	grave, deadly	That’s a very serious accusation. That’s a grave accusation.
very sharp	keen, intense, astute	You have very sharp eyes. You have keen eyes.

Do you want to find out more ways to enhance your word choice and build up your vocabulary for the life-changing exam? Prepare with a CELPIP test preparation course!

References:

Wong, Kristin. “This Infographic Lists 128 Words You Can Use Instead of “Very.” Life Hacker. June 29, 2016. Accessed November 19, 2018. http://lifehacker.com/this-infographic-lists-128-words-you-can-use-instead-of-1782748063

Frost, Jennifer. “147 Words to Use Instead of “Very” (Infographic).” Grammar Check. November 21, 2016. Accessed November 19, 2018. http://www.grammarcheck.net/very/

“128 Words to Use Instead of "Very".” Proof Reading Services. Accessed November 19, 2018. https://www.proofreadingservices.com/pages/very