2

Is the sentence

"She very wants to do it."

could be correct in a meaning of:

She wants to do it very much.

?

I mean to ask if it is a grammatical sentence at all.

Improve this question
4
  • 1
    Your first version is completely ungrammatical. But there's nothing wrong with She wants very much to do it, or She very much wants to do it. Which although far less common would often be used with exactly the sense of your second version. Maybe just a personal thing, but I might be more likely to use one of those "less common" versions if robustly refuting someone who'd just claimed that she didn't really want to do it at all.
    – FumbleFingers
    Dec 15, 2018 at 18:15
  • Thank you very much. Please put our things as an answer rather than a comment. It helped me. Secondly, I'd like to ask you if there's other ways to say "She wants to do it very much". Indeed you suggested that it can be possible to change the place of "very much" in the sentence, but I'm asking about other ways if you know. Thank you.
    – Virtuous Legend
    Dec 15, 2018 at 18:19
  • 1
    I didn't post an "Answer" because I didn't know if you'd simply made a typo when you omitted much from your first version. Presumably not, since you haven't edited your question text to "correct" it. But honestly, my comment has nothing to do with what seems to be your real problem here - the difference between very (which can't be used adverbially to "intensify" the verb wants) and really (which is perfectly fine as an adverbial intensifier in She really wants to do it).
    – FumbleFingers
    Dec 15, 2018 at 19:00
  • Ok, I understand. Thank you very much. I lerant a new thing today (that "really" can be in a meaning of "very much".).
    – Virtuous Legend
    Dec 15, 2018 at 19:40

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
9

No, “very” is a qualifier that is used to add more detail to a noun or adjective’s meaning (for example “she was very happy”) and so can’t come before a verb.

In the example “She very wants to do it” the word “really” would be correct, changing the sentence to “She really wants to do it”. “Really” has a very similar meaning in this context and can be used to enhance a verb.

Improve this answer
6
  • 1
    Very nicely summarised!
    – FumbleFingers
    Dec 15, 2018 at 19:02
  • 1
    I don't think it is standard to apply "very" to a noun. It works with adjectives and adverbs.
    – hmakholm left over Monica
    Dec 15, 2018 at 23:43
  • @HenningMakholm: There are hundreds of hits in Google Books for It's very me - probably mostly with the the idiomatic sense of typical of / suitable for me (usually in respect of an action, attitude, or item of clothing).
    – FumbleFingers
    Dec 16, 2018 at 13:08
  • @FumbleFingers: "Me" isn't a noun either. "Very me" derives (or derived) humorous character by being doubly removed form standard usage: First e.g. "It's very John", where the name "John" was recast as a (predicative) adjective to mean "typical of John's style", and then by substituting "me" for "John". Today broad usage had made it more of a set idiom, but that doesn't mean it's grammatically standard.
    – hmakholm left over Monica
    Dec 16, 2018 at 15:01
  • @HenningMakholm: I think you're using a somewhat circular definition there. Most people would say that [pro]noun me is indeed an "objective case" noun, but you're effectively saying that it can't be - because very only works with adjectives and adverbs. I'd say it's not so much that my cited usage is "non-standard" - more a matter of saying that most "grammar rules" are just a crude attempt to codify actual usage (which imho by definition defines "grammaticality").
    – FumbleFingers
    Dec 16, 2018 at 15:18

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .