very far only

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "very far only" is not correct and does not convey a clear meaning in written English.
It is unclear when to use it, as the combination of words does not form a coherent expression. Example: "The destination is very far only if you take the longer route."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

And she doesn't go very far — only the 200-some miles between the outer London borough where she lives and the town in northeast England where her parents are.

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

Very far, but very pretty," she said.

The New York Times

Still very far, but approaching.

The New Yorker

In the United States, Pleistocene rewilding never got very far; the only practical step that's been taken has been the reintroduction to private land in New Mexico of a giant tortoise known as the Bolton tortoise.

The New Yorker

But the next mayor will not be able to lash out at his foes as Giuliani and LaGuardia did, because he will have no Tammany, no entrenched liberalism to smite: the author of the city's woes is very far away, and only the United States military can smite him.

The New York Times - Magazine

Our supervisor warned us: 'Once you sit down, you only do what you are told.' The supervisor finally present us the back of the iPhone 5 and shows it to all of us and said: 'This is the new unleashed iPhone 5 back plate, you should be honored having the chance to produce it.' This is very far from being only Apple's problem, of course.

The Guardian - Tech

The Bayesian version (Bayesian EM) is not very far and differs only by the introduction of p: E - step : q ( θ, θ ^ ( k ) ) = E p ( f g, θ ^ ( k ) ) { ln p ( g, f θ ) + ln p } M - step : θ ^ ( k ) = arg max θ q ( θ, θ ^ ( k - 1 ) ) (9).

EURASIP Journal on Advances in Signal Processing

The fastest car in the world won't get you very far if you only have 20 feet of road, and a blazing-fast 4G LTE network is not worth much if you are limited to 2 GB of data per month.

TechCrunch

We don't have to travel very far in time; only to February 24, when the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight, chaired by Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-MO) held a hearing, "Hard Lessons Learned in Iraq and Benchmarks for Future Reconstruction Efforts".

Huffington Post

If you watch Tuesday night's episode, you'll notice that Colbert is subtly social engineering Malek to devote his very first and thus far, only—Instagram snap to his own brand.

Vice

When plotting reaction times against the location of the target for the different SOAs, we found that delivering TMS pulse on the motor cortex induced a similar facilitation effect than with the other sites for the very near (N° 1) and very far (N°7) targets only.

Plosone

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

For clarity and grammatical correctness, rephrase "very far only" as "only very far" or "just very far". This ensures the phrase is easily understood.

Common error

Avoid using "very far only" because it violates standard English word order. Using "only very far" enhances readability and grammatical correctness.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "very far only" attempts to modify a description of distance with a limiting adverb. However, Ludwig AI indicates that this phrasing is grammatically questionable and not standard English.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

33%

Science

33%

Wiki

34%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Social Media

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "very far only" is grammatically suspect and not recommended for use in formal English writing. Ludwig AI highlights its incorrectness, suggesting that alternatives such as "only very far" or "just very far" provide greater clarity and grammatical accuracy. While the phrase attempts to convey a sense of distance with a limitation, its awkward construction diminishes its effectiveness. When aiming for clear and precise communication, choosing the suggested alternatives is advisable.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

only very far

Reverses the order of "very" and "only", resulting in a more grammatically acceptable phrase.

just very far

Replaces "only" with "just", emphasizing the extent of the distance.

not very close

Expresses a similar idea of distance using a negative construction.

a considerable distance

Indicates a significant separation, moving away from the restrictive sense.

quite a ways

An informal way of saying a significant distance.

a long way off

Highlights remoteness of something in future.

relatively distant

Indicates something is far away compared to something else.

distinctly remote

Emphasizes that something is separate or isolated.

exclusively remote

Implies that the only characteristic is remoteness.

unreachably distant

Describes something that cannot be reached.

FAQs

What is the correct way to say "very far only"?

The grammatically correct alternatives are "only very far" or "just very far". These options provide clarity and adhere to standard English word order.

Is "very far only" grammatically correct?

No, "very far only" is not grammatically correct in standard English. The phrase is awkward and can be confusing. It is better to use "only very far" or "just very far".

What does "very far only" mean?

The intended meaning of "very far only" is unclear. Depending on the context, it might be trying to emphasize a significant distance with a limitation. However, it's best to rephrase for clarity, such as "only very far".

When should I use "only very far" instead of "very far only"?

Always use "only very far" instead of "very far only". The former follows standard English grammar and is easier to understand. The latter is considered incorrect.