that very year

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "that very year" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to refer to a specific year in which an event occurred, emphasizing the immediacy or significance of that year. Example: "The company launched its groundbreaking product that very year, changing the industry forever."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

18 human-written examples

Dietz became the coach that very year, and only lasted for two seasons.

The New Yorker

Spraying for Dutch elm disease began in a small way on the university campus that very year.

The New Yorker

"There were three separate parts to it," he recalled in the autobiography, "Michael Owen in Person," that was marketed that very year.

The New York Times - Sports

On January 31 , 1933 Hitler became chancellor and, based on the infamous Enabling Act, adopted by a Reichstag majority, he took absolute power that very year.

Encyclopedia Britannica

There was also a local beer listed — a Widmer, which, I later learned, was the product of a brewery founded in Portland that very year.

The New Yorker

Little could he know that 43 years later JJ Abrams, a writer-director born that very year, would reverentially provide biographies and creation myths for his characters in a $150m movie.

The Guardian

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

42 human-written examples

"And so it happened that in this very year of joy for the sacrament of the priesthood, the sins of priests came to light — particularly the abuse of the little ones," the pope added.

The New York Times

A 2001 book, "The Myth of the Paperless Office", summed up the conventional wisdom.But as it turned out, that was the very year when demand for office paper began declining.

The Economist

And while we talk about protecting children online it is important to know that during the very years that the Internet has grown, from 1992 to 2008, child sexual abuse in United States has decreased by 58percentt, according the Crimes Against Children Research Center.

Huffington Post

The receipt, which recorded his sale of the statue to Symes for four hundred thousand dollars, stated suspiciously that the statue had been in the Canavesi family's possession since 1939 — the very year that Italy passed a landmark antiquities law.

The New Yorker

But, no one could have predicted that Manning would be hurt and the team couldn't manage three wins without him in the very year that Luck graduated.

Huffington Post

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "that very year" to emphasize the immediate consequence or relevance of an event in the mentioned year. This construction adds impact compared to simply stating "that year".

Common error

Avoid using "that very year" in contexts where the emphasis is unnecessary. Overusing it can make your writing sound repetitive or melodramatic. Opt for a simpler "that year" if the emphasis isn't crucial.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "that very year" functions as a determiner phrase, specifically modifying a noun (year). According to Ludwig AI, it emphasizes the immediacy or importance of events occurring in the specified year.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

80%

Science

10%

Encyclopedias

5%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "that very year" is a determiner phrase used to emphasize the importance or immediacy of events within a specific year. As Ludwig AI suggests, it's grammatically correct and commonly found in neutral to formal contexts, especially in news and media. The phrase enhances narratives by drawing attention to temporal relationships and consequences. While valuable for adding emphasis, overuse should be avoided to maintain writing clarity and impact.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

that specific year

Replaces "very" with "specific", emphasizing the particularity of the year.

that particular year

Uses "particular" instead of "very", highlighting the distinctiveness of the year.

that exact year

Replaces "very" with "exact" to emphasize precision.

that year in question

Adds "in question" to specify that the year is under discussion.

in that same year

Uses "same" to denote the identical year previously referenced.

precisely that year

Emphasizes the accuracy of the year with "precisely".

that actual year

Replaces "very" with "actual" to express reality.

during that year

A more generic expression indicating the timeframe.

that selfsame year

Emphasizes the sameness of the year with "selfsame".

that self-same year

Hyphenated version of "selfsame" for stylistic variation.

FAQs

What does "that very year" mean?

The phrase "that very year" emphasizes a particular year already mentioned or understood in the context, highlighting the significance or immediacy of events occurring then.

How to use "that very year" in a sentence?

Use "that very year" to connect events closely tied to a specific year you've already established. For example, "The law was passed in 2000. That very year, the economic landscape shifted dramatically."

What can I say instead of "that very year"?

You can use alternatives like "that specific year", "that particular year", or "in that same year" depending on the context.

Is there a difference between "that year" and "that very year"?

Yes, "that very year" adds emphasis, suggesting a direct and important connection between the year and the event being described. "That year" is a more neutral reference.