so vs very :

so or very

Originally people said things like, “I was so delighted with the wrapping that I couldn’t bring myself to open the package.” But then they began to lazily say “You made me so happy,” no longer explaining just how happy that was. This pattern of using “so” as a simple intensifier meaning “very” is now standard in casual speech, but is out of place in formal writing, where “very” or another intensifier works better. Without vocal emphasis, the “so” conveys little in print.

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Definitions

  • n  the syllable naming the fifth (dominant) note of any musical scale in solmization
  • r  to a very great extent or degree
    the idea is so obvious
    never been so happy
    I love you so
    my head aches so!
  • r  in a manner that facilitates
    he observed the snakes so he could describe their behavior
    he stooped down so he could pick up his hat
  • r  in such a condition or manner, especially as expressed or implied
    They're happy and I hope they will remain so
    so live your life that old age will bring no regrets
  • r  to a certain unspecified extent or degree
    I can only go so far with this student
    can do only so much in a day
  • r  in the same way; also
    I was offended and so was he
    worked hard and so did she
  • r  in the way indicated; (`thusly' is a nonstandard variant)
    hold the brush so
  • r  (usually followed by `that') to an extent or degree as expressed
    he was so tired he could hardly stand
    so dirty that it smells
  • r  subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
    and so home and to bed
  • r  (used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result
    the witness is biased and so cannot be trusted
  • r  in truth (often tends to intensify)
    he did so do it!

  • s  precisely as stated
    the very center of town
  • s  being the exact same one; not any other:
    on this very spot
    the very thing he said yesterday
    the very man I want to see
  • r  used as intensifiers; `real' is sometimes used informally for `really'; `rattling' is informal
    she was very gifted
    he played very well
  • r  precisely so
    on the very next page
    he expected the very opposite
News & Articles

  • Rob Reiner directing 'And So It Goes...' in Conn.
    STAMFORD, Conn., June 13 (UPI) -- Director Rob Reiner has started shooting his film "And So It Goes..." with Michael Douglas and Diane Keaton in Stamford, Conn., producers said.
    June 13, 2013 - UPI
  • Iams SO GOOD! Celebrates Real Love at Canada’s First Dog Concert
    On June 8, 2013, Iams celebrated the real love between people and pets at Canada’s first ever concert for dogs by Iams to launch its new Iams SO GOOD! dog food. Hosted at Echo Beach in Toronto, The Iams SO GOOD! Doggie Jam was designed to be enjoyed by everyone in the family and appeal to unique canine senses.
    June 12, 2013 - Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance
  • 'So You Think You Can Dance' Vegas Week: Head Injury Nearly Ends Journey For One Dancer (VIDEO)
    The most brutal week of the competition was under way this week on " So You Think You Can Dance ." It was Vegas Week, and that meant exhausted dancers, frayed nerves and temper tantrums. And for one dancer, it almost meant the end of the competition.
    June 12, 2013 - The Huffington Post

  • Homelement Officially Incorporates Their Very Own Home Decor Blog to the Site
    Homelement officially incorporates their very own home decor blog to the site. The blog, used to be known as Online Furniture Design, has been officially moved as an integral part of Homelement site. (PRWeb June 19, 2013) Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/6/prweb10814033.htm
    June 19, 2013 - PRWeb
  • Iraq’s Kurds to Export Oil by New Pipeline ‘Very Soon’
    Iraq’s Kurds will start exporting crude by pipeline “very soon” after the completion of a new link to the Turkish border by the end of September, the Kurdistan Regional Government Natural Resources Minister said.
    June 19, 2013 - Bloomberg
  • South Africa's Mandela "doing very well" - daughter
    South Africa's Mandela "doing very well" - daughter JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Former South African president Nelson Mandela, who is being treated in hospital for a lung infection, is "doing very well", his daughter said on Monday. The 94-year-old anti-apartheid leader, who became South Africa's first black president in 1994, was rushed to hospital early on June 8 with a recurring respiratory ...
    June 17, 2013 - Reuters via Yahoo! News