Error No.

: 13

Error: Very + V
Some common examples
1. * I like playing basketball, so I very enjoy it.
2. * I very like dancing.
3. * When I was eight, I very like music.

Core grammatical problem

Lack of awareness that the ‘intensifier’ function of ‘very’ or ‘very + adverb’ is usually placed
AFTER the verb.

Probable causes of this structural problem

L1-related factors:
1. The corresponding adverb expressing the intensifying function in Chinese/Cantonese
(很) is placed typically BEFORE the verb, (e.g. 很 好, 很 喜 歡).
2. In Chinese, the syntactic behavior of verbs and adjectives is very similar (e.g. 很 好, 很
喜 歡). Since the adjective phrase ‘very ADJECTIVE’ in English is allowed (e.g. very
good), students may think that the word group ‘very VERB’ is acceptable (e.g. *very
like).

L2-related factors:
1. Inadequate understanding that, while the intensifying adverb ‘very’ is used to modify
verbs, adjectives or other adverbs, the adjective/adverb phrases containing ‘very’ occur
typically AFTER the finite verb (e.g. to work very hard, to look very well).
2. Students may be misled by correct sentences where the adverb phrases containing ‘very’
occur BEFORE the verb (e.g. they very much want to go), or BETWEEN the finite
(auxiliary) verb and the participle (e.g. was very nicely done).
 Correction procedure

To help students (Ss) overcome the problem as in sentences (1) to (3), teacher (T) can go
through the following correction procedure with students (Ss):

1. T uses the picture of a heart to symbolize the meaning ‘like’, as follows:

(i) John ♥ football

2. T writes sentence (i) on the board, and guides Ss to write out the complete sentence as

follows:

(ii) John ♥ football  ‘John likes football.’

3. T uses the symbolism of an increasing number of hearts to signal the comparative

meaning ‘more’ (two hearts), and the superlative meaning ‘most’ (three hearts):

(iii) John ♥♥ dancing

(iv) John ♥♥♥ squash

4. T guides Ss to produce the target sentences as follows:

(v) John ♥♥ dancing  ‘John likes dancing more.’

(vi) John ♥♥♥ squash  ‘John likes squash most.’

5. T draws Ss’ attention to the position of ‘more’ and ‘most’ in (v) and (vi).

6. T presents a picture of Michael Chang playing tennis.

7. T writes the following sentences on the board:

(vii) Michael ♥ football

(viii) Michael ♥♥ squash

(ix) Michael ♥♥♥ tennis

8. T guides Ss to write out these three sentences:

(vii) Michael ♥ football  Michael likes football.

(viii) Michael ♥♥ squash  Michael likes squash more.

(ix) Michael ♥♥♥ tennis  Michael likes tennis most.

9. T asks: If we talk about only one sport, as in (ix), what should we say?

(ix) Michael ♥♥♥ tennis

10. T elicits the response ‘very much’ from Ss, and add this expression to (ix):

(x) Michael ♥♥♥ tennis very much

11. T guides Ss to write out (x) in a complete sentence:

(xi) Michael likes tennis very much.

12. T asks Ss to write out another sentence (use a picture as prompt if appropriate):

(xii) Joey ♥♥♥ singing

13. T guides Ss to write:

(xiii) Joey likes singing very much.

14. T reminds Ss that the word ‘very’ is usually used AFTER the verb. Hence, the

adjective/adverb phrase containing ‘very’ (e.g. very much, very well, very nicely) is

usually placed AFTER the verb and the object, as in (xii) and (xiii) above.

15. T asks Ss to form a correct sentence using the following words:

(xiv) tennis play Michael well very

(xv) enjoy tennis much very Michael

16. T elicits answers to the questions in (15) and asks Ss to: (a) underline the verbs, and (b)

circle the word group containing ‘very’.

17. T asks: “where is the word (group) ‘very’, before the verb or after the verb?”

18. T introduces the general rule of thumb: ‘… LIKE [someone] very much’,

‘… LIKE [something] very much’, ‘… ENJOY [something] very much’

Follow-up exercise

A. Editing / Proofreading
T selects some authentic excerpts of student writing containing this structural problem, and
ask Ss to correct it either on their own or in pairs.

B. Translation from Chinese into English

T asks Ss to translate the following sentences into English.
Then check the answers, and give further feedback as appropriate:
1. 佢好喜歡音樂.
2. 我好鍾意籃球.
3. 佢哋好想去日本.