In IELTS Speaking, one of the most commonly repeated words is ‘very‘.
This not only sounds boring, but it shows a limited range of vocabulary to the examiner ☹️.
A great way to show a wide range of vocabulary, is to start building your knowledge and use of synonyms.
Here are 18 synonyms you can use instead of ‘very’ to make your speech more interesting and show your control of vocabulary to the examiner.
Table of Contents
Synonyms of 'very' to describe things
If someone asks us one of these questions;
How was that film/book/lesson?
We might say it was,
- Very interesting
- Very useful
- Very good
However, this is not colourful language. In order to show off a wider range of vocabulary, here are some synonyms of ‘very’ that work as great collocations with interesting, useful and good.
You know that book I read was extremely interesting
I thought it was an incredibly interesting book
The book you recommended was tremendously useful
I found it to be a particularly useful book because it was full of great ideas and practical tips
That film was dead good
I thought that film was extremely good
Since the word good has very few collocates, then we often use a single adjective that shows intensity, i.e. meaning ‘very good’. Here are some examples you can use;
- amazing
- terrific
- splendid
- awesome
- outstanding
- top-notch
- brilliant
Synonyms of 'very' to describe people
If someone asks us one of these questions;
What is your friend / colleague / boss like?
We might say they are,
- Very nice
- Very friendly
- Very intelligent
Again this does not really show off your real language ability. You can spice up your vocabulary using some of the following synonyms.
Yeah, my boss is a perfectly nice woman
Yep, I think my boss is a thoroughly nice man
We’ve just moved into a new flat, and the new neighbour is exceptionally friendly
I think my new neighbour is a genuinely friendly person
Yeah, my teacher? I think he is highly intelligent
I think my teacher is remarkably intelligent
Synonyms of 'very' to describe activities
If someone asks us one of these questions;
How did you find the concert/party/meeting?
We might say it was,
- Very boring
- Very slow
- Very bad
Likewise, this is quite simple language, and we can make it more interesting by using some of the following synonyms.
Well I went to a party last week, and to be honest it was mind-numbingly boring
I went to a party with my friend but it was just downright boring, there was nothing to do, no music, no dancing
Last week, we have a meeting with my boss and some colleagues and to be honest, it was just painfully slow
You know what, I can’t believe the meetings with Mr. Smith, they are frustratingly slow
I thought Lady Gaga’s last concert was extremely bad
I thought the concert was really bad
Similar to the adjective ‘good‘, the word ‘bad’ has very few collocates, so we often use a single adjective that shows intensity, i.e. meaning ‘very bad’. Here are some examples you can use;
- An appalling party
- An awful meeting
- What a dreadful concert!
- That was a terrible party
- That was an agonising meeting
IELTS speaking practice
You can practice all of these collocations with a fantastic pronunciation mobile app called ELSA Speak.
I have made a study set for you, that you can use to practice all of the 18 synonyms above.
Remember the more you practice, the more deeply you can learn and use these words.
Showing a wide range of vocabulary is essential to get a high score in the IELTS Speaking Test, so start practicing today.
Let me know how you like the Study Set in the comments below.
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