very slow or very slowly?

7 replies
Forums · General English Grammar & Vocabulary, Listening & Speaking · General English Grammar Questions
Hey,

A friend and I are discussing whether it is more correct to say "very slow" or "very slowly" as in "She drives very slow(ly)".
It's funny how i don't know this even though i'm a native speaker (and so is my friend). Anyway, does anyone know this for sure?

thx!
Hi,

A friend and I are discussing whether it is more correct to say "very slow" or "very slowly" as in "She drives very slow(ly)".
It's funny how i don't know this even though i'm a native speaker (and so is my friend). Anyway, does anyone know this for sure?

'Slowly'. It's an adverb that modifies the verb 'drive'. It tells us how she drives.

Or you could say 'She is a very slow driver'. Here, 'slow' is an adjective that describes the noun 'driver'.

Best wishes, Clive
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thank you,

so, she drives very slowly is correct?

i get what you're sayin but what if you want to say: the traffic in front drives very slow(ly) ? Now refering to the traffic and nothing else. And if you want to say: the cars in front are driving very slow(ly) refering to cars in plural.

thx in advance
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Anonymousthank you,

so, she drives very slowly is correct? Yes, 'slowly' is correct.

i get what you're sayin but what if you want to say: the traffic in front drives very slow(ly) ? Now refering to the traffic and nothing else. And if you want to say: the cars in front are driving very slow(ly) refering to cars in plural.

thx in advance
Deciding if you need an adjective or an adverb has absolutely nothing to do with whether the noun in the sentence is singular or plural. In both of your new examples you need an adverb (slowly) because you are modifying the verb 'drive'. In very informal spoken English, people sometimes use the adjective slow instead of the adverb slowly (i.e. "He drives slow" instead of "He drives slowly"). However, this would be considered incorrect on a formal grammar test or in formal writing.

You can use the adjective slow like this, for example:

They are both slow drivers.
I have a slow car.
My car is slow.

Are you really a native speaker? The sentence "the traffic in front drives very slowly" does not really sound like a natural native-speaker sentence to me. Emotion: wink
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I think both are correct iof we get the real function of the word very which is adverb. Vey modifies slow as adjective and slowly as adverb. This is as far as grammar rule is concerned. The thing is language is culture and sometimes grammatical functions are laid aside in the name of artistic expression. And I'm afraid too that I'm getting confused here in China with this word very. Many students say: I VERY like to play computer games... I usually check them with: I like playing computer games very much. Am I right somehow? Please help.. Thank you.
AnonymousMany students say: I VERY like to play computer games... I usually check them with: I like playing computer games very much. Am I right somehow? Please help.. Thank you.
You are correct.
Very must be used with another adjective, adverb or noun. It makes the meaning of the word it modifies more intense.
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What about the American traffic signs, "DRIVE SLOW" ? Should it actually read "slowly" ?
AnonymousWhat about the American traffic signs, "DRIVE SLOW" ?
"LY" takes more space, so if "SLOWLY" is on the sign, it costs more money, or the letters have to be smaller, making it less easily read. Traffic signs very often omit letters that are not essential to the meaning. Grammar is not their concern!
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