On a sunny Wednesday afternoon, Liz entered the classroom and greeted her students with her warm smile. “Good afternoon, everyone! I hope you’re all doing well today,” she said cheerfully.
The students responded with smiles and nods, and Liz began her lesson. “Today, we’re going to talk about how to use words instead of ‘very,'” she said, pulling out a sheet of paper. “Using ‘very’ all the time can make your writing sound repetitive and uninteresting. Instead, you can use other words that convey the same meaning but add more flavor to your writing.”
Liz then gave them a list of words to use instead of ‘very.’ She explained that instead of saying ‘very poor,’ they could use ‘destitute.’ Instead of ‘very happy,’ they could use ‘ecstatic.’ The students took notes, eager to learn new vocabulary words that could help them improve their English writing.
As Liz went through the list, she noticed that Lee was having difficulty understanding some of the words. “Lee, are you having trouble with any of these words?” Liz asked.
Lee nodded hesitantly. “I’m not sure what some of these words mean,” he said in his accented English.
Liz smiled patiently and went through the list again, explaining each word in simpler terms. “Desperate means ‘very’ in a way that expresses sadness or despair. Ecstatic means ‘very’ in a way that expresses extreme happiness,” she explained.
The other students helped Lee understand the words, and soon he was able to follow along with the rest of the lesson. As the class ended, Liz asked the students to use some of the words in a sentence.
Ana said, “The children in my village are destitute, and I want to help them.”
John said, “I felt ecstatic when I got my first business deal.”
Aisha said, “As a doctor, I want to help people who are in desperate need of medical attention.”
Lee said, “I want to work for a tech company in Silicon Valley and make a significant impact in the industry.”
Karolina said, “As a civil engineer, I want to design sustainable buildings that can withstand natural disasters.”
Liz was proud of her students and their progress. As they left the classroom, Liz reminded them to practice their new vocabulary words and encouraged them to keep learning. Marden was a beautiful town, and she knew they would be able to use their new vocabulary to express their appreciation of the beautiful landscapes that surrounded them.
Video
Watch the video about alternatives for using the word very.
