What is the difference between very and really

When using very as an adverb we are able to use the word really and the sentence does not change in meaning. In these sentences you can use either very or really because it is used before an adjective! The word like is a verb and very will not work here. When using an interjection to indicate surprise you can ONLY use really.

Check out our blog for new and interesting topics at www. More for you: What is the difference between obviously and absolutely … Difference between Since and For. Sign in. Log into your account.

Forgot your password? Privacy Policy. Password recovery. That parenthetical statement brings up one other distinction: really can mean truly , as well as very. So, if I say,. The latter might be used in the case where, say, I had told someone that I was proud of my daughters, and they seemed somewhat incredulous, unaware that I even had a family. As others have said, very and really can both be used to intensify.

A main difference is that we don't use very to modify verbs. According to the OED, really used to be somewhat more than very , but it now also employed as an alternative intensifier:. I believe this connection with something authentic as in truly is still present in common speech, by using really rather than very in saying, e. To know what humans are really and truly capable of, the good and the bad, we need But we tend to over-use intensifiers, and that lowers their market value, as was already noted in , according to OED again:.

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