Teacher Discussion Forums

Hello there.

I have one more question. Actually this quesiton occurred to me while I was driving through the rain today.

Is there any meaning difference between
1) "She is so pretty" and
2) "She is very pretty" ?

I have heard that the former expression (so beautiful) is more subjective than the latter, but I am not sure if it makes a sense.

Suppose one of your students asks you the same question, how would you explain it?

Well, without thinking about it, I'd say, "Yeah, I use 'so' and 'very' as synonyms; but, after thinking about it, I'd say that 'so' and 'very' are different:

She's pretty.
She's very pretty.
She's so very pretty. (to the extent of being almost beautiful.)

It's small.
It's very small.
It's so very small. (to the extent of being almost minute.)

All the best,

Cas