Just like many words in the English language, the word ”very” also serves a double function. It can be used as an adverb or an adjective depending on the context.

1. Adverb

This word is categorized as an adverb if it is used to modify a verb, an adjective, or another adverb in a particular sentence. Furthermore, this adverb is typically used to emphasize that something is of a high degree or intensity. For instance, in the sample sentence below:

She worked very quickly.

The word “very” is considered as an adverb because it modifies another adverb “quickly.”

Definition:

a. to a great degree

• Example:
• It is the very best store in the city.

 

2. Adjective

There are also other times wherein the word “very” is considered as an adjective because it can modify a noun. When used as an adjective, this word typically means “exact” or “precise.” Take for example, the sentence:

Those were her very words.

The word “very” is categorized under adjectives because it describes the noun “words.”

Definition:

a. actual; precise

• Example:
• I found it at the very heart of the city.

 

b. being the same one

• Example:
• That is the very woman you were looking for.

 

c. emphasizing an extreme point in time or space

• Example:
• I knew it from the very beginning of the movie.