Yes, this is a very unique blog about redundant extra words.
As a words matter guy, I’m often struck by seemingly common phrases which don’t make logical sense. The phrase ‘I could care less’ is five times more prevalent in American English than the correct phrase ‘I couldn’t care less.’
Lately, I’ve been hearing a lot of people use the phrase ‘very unique.’ Sigh.
Unique means being the only one of its kind or being without an equal. In both cases, it doesn’t add any extra meaning to include the modifier very. Once you’re one of a kind, you can’t be even more than the only one.
Unique is an example of an absolute adjective (sometimes called a non-gradable adjective) that shouldn’t take modifiers to show degree. It’s either true or not (mathematically binary). Other absolute adjectives include complete, perfect, empty, final, and impossible. You can’t be very perfect, very empty, or very final either.
Very is an example of an intensifier, used to modify an adjective to double down on the meaning. Very hot implies a much higher temperature than just hot. The problem happens when you apply an intensifier to an absolute – the extra word doesn’t boost anything or change the meaning.
Other intensifiers include really, quite, totally, absolutely, completely, extremely. These are all unnecessary when used before an absolute adjective such as in the following phrases:
- Totally full
- Absolutely essential
- Completely empty
- Extremely pregnant
- Truly impossible
The first words for all five of these are empty modifiers and should be deleted.
Does that mean absolute adjectives like unique and empty should never have modifiers before them?
English purists would probably demand no modifiers but convention has it that you can use limiters. Limiters include words like almost, virtually, practically, and nearly. This means almost full and practically empty are accepted even if very unique is not.
Yet another example why English is difficult to learn.
If you want to avoid the redundant extra words of an intensifier on an absolute adjective, you can drop the word very and stick with unique. Or be unusual and show off your rare vocabulary by choosing a almost unique word like distinctive.
Reality is that nothing is certain, and everything is probabilistic, as described by the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. English language, developed by the wisdom of the crowds over thousands of year, has captured this principle way before Heisenberg did. As rental car companies know very well, a car returned with a full tank could be anything except a tank full at 100%. Scientists at the end of the XIX century stated that it was impossible for humans to fly. My daughter tells me that it is essential for her to borrow my car. I definitely agree with the English language that we need phrases like: totally full, truly impossible and absolutely essential, when describing situations where the certainty level is above 90%