A Dictionary of Cont..

vertebra 540
Robert Frost’s “Mending Wall”). A stanza is a
succession of lines (verses) commonly bound together
by a rhyme scheme, and usually forming
one of a series of similar groups which constitute
a poem (A quatrain is u stanza consisting
of four verses).
The term verse is also used of metrical composition
in general, as opposed to prose (Verse
that a virgin without blush may read). In
church music a verse is a passage or movement
for a single voice or for soloists, as contrasted
with chorus. Verse as a term for the divisions
of the books and chapters of the Scriptures has
a special meaning.
vertebra. The plural is vertebras or vertebrae.
vertex. The plural is vertexes or vertices.
vertigo. The plural is vertigoes or vertigines.
verve, a word for energy or enthusiasm, especially
in literary or artistic work; spirit, liveliness or
vigor, is a French word and slightly affected.
There are plenty of English synonyms expressing
many shades of meaning, some one of which
will usually do better as far as the meaning goes
and a great deal better as far as not annoying
the reader or listener goes.
very was originally an adjective meaning true and
is still used as an adjective. It may mean actual
or identical, as in the very man I was looking
for. It may be a pure intensive, as in the very
jaws of death. Or it may have the force of
“even,” as in lo! the very stars are gone. Very
once had a comparative form verier but this is
now obsolete. It has a superlative form veriest
which is used as an intensive, as in the veriest
rubbish. It also has an adverbial form verily,
which means “truly,” as in Z verily believe. The
superlative and the adverbial forms are in use
today but they are considered either old-fashioned
or bookish.
About five hundred years ago very began to be
used as an adverb before adjectives and adverbs.
It has now completely replaced full as an intensive,
as in full high, full many, full well, and is
preferred to right in this role. It has also replaced
much before the simple form of an adjective.
We can no longer say I am much happy, I am
much sorry, as was once normal English. When
the past participle of a verb is used as an adjective
before a noun, as in a disappointed man,
a worried man, it may be qualified by either very
or much. Today very is preferred here. Very is
not used before adjectives or adverbs in the
comparative form. We cannot say it is very
greener. It is not used to qualify a verb. We
cannot say I very prefer or I very appreciate. It
cannot be used even in a passive verb form,
which is composed of some form of the verb to
be and a past participle. We cannot say it was
very praised or it was very remembered. We can
say very much in cases like this because much is
a true adverb that can qualify a verb, and very
here qualifies the word much and not the verb
itself.
About a hundred years ago very began to be
used with participles following forms of the
verb fo be, when these compounds were not
actually felt as passive verbs, as in he was very
pleased, he was very amused, he was very worried.
A philologist writing in 1861, and discussing
the ways in which languages change and develop,
chose very to illustrate his point. He wrote:
“There is apparently a very small difference
between much and very, but you can hardly
ever put one in the place of the other. You can
say I am very happy but not I am much happy.
On the contrary, you can say I am much misunderstood
but not I am very misunderstood.
It is by no means impossible, however, that this
distinction between very, which is now used
with adjectives only, and much, which precedes
participles, should disappear in time. But if that
change takes place, it will not be by the will of
any individual, nor by the common agreement
of any large number of men, but rather in spite
of the exertions of grammarians and academies.”
Although the distinction between very and
much has not disappeared, changes have indeed
taken place in the use of these words. Anyone
who now says that very cannot be used before a
participle that follows a form of the verb to be
is merely repeating what was true seventy-five
years ago but is not true today. Some careful
grammarians say that very may be used before
the participle in a construction of this kind when
what is being talked about is a mental state, such
as pleased, amused, worried, but not when what
is being talked about is a physical condition, as
in he is very changed, it is very scratched.
In the United States today very is preferred to
much before participles that name mental states.
That is, most people consider he was very
pleased, he was very amused, more natural English
than much pleased, much amused. Very is
also acceptable before participles that name
physical conditions, such as very changed, very
scratched, but mlcch is not considered as unnatural
with words of this kind as it is with the
others. In all cases, the two words very much
may be used with everybody’s approval.
A prepositional phrase, such as on his own, at
a loss, may be qualified by much but not by very.
Certain peculiar adjectives that begin with a-,
such as afraid, aware, alive, were originally
prepositional phrases and are still treated in some
respects as phrases. For example, they cannot be
used before the noun they qualify as other adjectives
can. Some grammarians claim that they
cannot be qualified by very. But in the United
States very afraid, very aware, are as acceptable
as very amused.
vespers. This word has a singular form vesper
which is still in use today, as in a vesper well
sung, but the plural form vespers is heard more
often. It is usually followed by a plural verb, as
in vespers were sung, but may also be followed
by a singular verb, as in vespers was sung. The
singular form is preferred as the first element in
a compound, as in vesper bell and vesper book.
vessel. See ship.
vest. See undershirt.
vestige. See trace.