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

Do you want to elevate your performance in the speaking and writing exams? Work on your word choice alongside your CELPIP Manila training sessions. Instead of using "very," use concise words that adequately emphasize the extremity of adverbs and other adjectives. Here's a list of adjectives that you can use.

	What to use instead of “very”	Examples
very shiny	gleaming, glistening, polished	The metal is very shiny from all his polishing. The metal is gleaming from all his polishing.
very short	brief, compressed	His introduction was very short and interesting. His introduction was brief and interesting.
very shy	timid, demure	Being very shy held her back. Being timid held her back.
very simple	basic, straightforward	Your outfit is very simple. Use more accessories. Your outfit is too basic. Use more accessories.
very skinny	gaunt, skeletal	The ordeal left him very skinny and bedridden. The ordeal left him gaunt and bedridden.
very small	petite, diminutive	The package was very small compared to the others.  The package was diminutive compared to the others.
very smart	intelligent, knowledgeable	He is very smart in history and politics. He is knowledgeable in history and politics.
very smelly	foul-smelling, pungent, fetid	Where is that very smelly odor coming from? Where is that pungent odor coming from?
very smooth	sleek, glossy	Her hair was very smooth and silky. Her hair was sleek and silky.
very soft	downy, cushioned	The pillows in the living room are very soft. The pillows in the living room are very downy.
very sorry	apologetic, contrite, remorseful	He was visibly very sorry for his insensitive outburst. He was visibly remorseful for his insensitive outburst.
very special	exceptional, one-of-a-kind	To guarantee success, you need to enroll in a very special CELPIP Manila review center. To guarantee success, you need to enroll in an exceptional CELPIP Manila review center.
very strong	forceful, powerful, formidable	He’s a very strong presidential candidate. He’s a formidable presidential candidate.
very stupid	idiotic, ludicrous, naive	That’s a very stupid way of thinking. That’s a naïve way of thinking.
very sure	certain, confident, absolute	She’s very sure of her answer. She’s certain of her answer.

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References:

Wong, Kristin. “This Infographic Lists 128 Words You Can Use Instead of “Very.” Life Hacker. June 29, 2016. Accessed December 4, 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 December 4, 2018. http://www.grammarcheck.net/very/

“128 Words to Use Instead of "Very".”Proof Reading Services. Accessed December 4, 2018. https://www.proofreadingservices.com/pages/very