is very smaller

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "is very smaller" is not correct in English.
The correct form would be "is much smaller" or "is very small." You can use it when comparing the size of two objects or entities, but it must be corrected to maintain grammatical accuracy. Example: "The new model is much smaller than the previous version."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

Other than this reason, the C. simplex is very smaller in cell size and bio-volume than C. curvisetus.

Applied Water Science

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

55 human-written examples

That is very small".

The New York Times

"The Bristol campus is very small.

Independent

This amount is very small," he said.

The Guardian

In either case, this is very small.

The New York Times

"My family is very small".

The New York Times

"It is very small," Ms. Poulin said.

The New York Times

The second bedroom is very small.

The New York Times

But that provision is very small.

The New York Times

The world is very small then.

The New Yorker

(The Arabic script is very small).

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When comparing sizes, use "much smaller", "significantly smaller", or "considerably smaller" instead of "is very smaller" to maintain grammatical accuracy.

Common error

Avoid using "very" with comparative adjectives (like "smaller"). "Very" modifies positive adjectives (like "small"). Use "much", "significantly", or "considerably" to modify comparative adjectives instead.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "is very smaller" attempts to function as a comparative statement, aiming to describe that something has a lesser size relative to something else. As Ludwig AI clarifies, this construction is grammatically incorrect, as "very" cannot modify a comparative adjective.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Science

50%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "is very smaller" is grammatically incorrect; the correct form is "is much smaller" or "is very small", depending on the intended meaning. According to Ludwig, using "very" to modify the comparative adjective "smaller" is a common mistake. Grammatical correctness should be prioritized in both formal and informal contexts. While the phrase appears in some online sources, including news and scientific articles, its incorrectness necessitates using alternatives like "is much smaller" or "is significantly smaller" to maintain clarity and accuracy.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

is much smaller

Uses "much" to correctly modify the comparative adjective "smaller".

is significantly smaller

Replaces "very" with "significantly" for a more formal tone while maintaining grammatical correctness.

is considerably smaller

Substitutes "very" with "considerably" to enhance formality and precision.

is substantially smaller

Emphasizes the degree of difference in size.

is a lot smaller

Uses "a lot" as an informal intensifier for "smaller".

is slightly smaller

Indicates a minimal difference in size.

is marginally smaller

Implies an almost negligible difference in size.

is somewhat smaller

Suggests a moderate degree of difference.

is not as big

Expresses a smaller size using a negative comparison.

is dwarfed by

Indicates that something is much smaller compared to something else.

FAQs

What's grammatically wrong with the phrase "is very smaller"?

The phrase "is very smaller" is grammatically incorrect. "Smaller" is a comparative adjective, and it should be modified by adverbs like "much", "significantly", or "considerably", not "very". You should use "is very small" instead, but the meaning is different.

What can I say instead of "is very smaller" to compare sizes correctly?

To compare sizes accurately, use phrases like "is much smaller", "is significantly smaller", or "is considerably smaller".

How does using "very" change the meaning when comparing sizes?

Using "very" with a positive adjective like "small" (resulting in "is very small") describes the size directly. Using "much smaller" or similar phrases directly compares two sizes, indicating one is less than the other.

In what contexts is it appropriate to use "is very small" instead of "is very smaller"?

Use "is very small" when you want to describe the size of something without comparing it to anything else. For example, "This room is very small" simply states the room's size, while "This room is much smaller than the living room" makes a direct comparison.