very longer

USAGE SUMMARY

'very longer' is not correct and is not usable in written English.
You can use the word 'much' or 'far' instead. For example, "It took me much longer to complete the project than I had expected."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

CJC-1131, a newly designed GLP-1 analogue with very longer half-life, has shown good effectiveness in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Behavioural Brain Research

Moreover, when all the features are used without feature selection, it took a very longer time to calculate a solution precisely.

EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

57 human-written examples

"We needed some sort of solution that would be able to give us a safety and security and decommissioning over a very longer-term period," said Simon Evans, the head of the Chernobyl Shelter Fund.

Vice

And rarely have we done very much longer, but there have been times when smaller-scale ones were done for a little bit longer a while ago".

Huffington Post

'Clearly things can't wait very much longer.

The Guardian

But this would not be true for very much longer.

The Guardian

And it will not be the future for very much longer.

The New Yorker

We won't be here very much longer to answer questions".

The New Yorker

"The present Yankee Stadium is not going to make it for very much longer," Mr. Levine said.

The New York Times

They are good people, and I know they cannot be hoodwinked for very much longer".

The Guardian

"I do not think things can keep going on as they have for very much longer.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When describing duration, replace "very longer" with grammatically sound alternatives like "much longer" or "far longer" to ensure clarity and accuracy.

Common error

The phrase "very longer" incorrectly combines an intensifier ("very") with a comparative form ("longer"). To correct this, use "much longer" or "far longer" instead.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "very longer" functions as an incorrect attempt to modify a comparative adjective. Ludwig AI indicates that the phrase is grammatically incorrect and suggests using "much" or "far" instead of "very" to properly modify the comparative adjective.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

34%

News & Media

33%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "very longer" is grammatically incorrect, as it misuses "very" with a comparative adjective. Ludwig AI confirms this, recommending "much longer" or "far longer" instead. While examples exist in news and scientific sources, the phrase should be avoided in formal writing. Alternatives like "significantly longer" or "considerably longer" offer more precise and grammatically sound options for expressing duration or length. Remember to avoid combining intensifiers with comparative adjectives to ensure clarity and accuracy in your writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

much longer

Replaces "very" with "much" to form a grammatically correct comparative.

far longer

Substitutes "very" with "far" to create a more standard comparative phrase.

considerably longer

Emphasizes the length of time to a greater extent using "considerably".

significantly longer

Highlights the extended duration with a more formal tone.

appreciably longer

Implies that the increased length is noticeable or important.

noticeably longer

Focuses on the ease with which the increased length can be observed.

markedly longer

Stresses that the length is distinct and easily identified.

a good deal longer

Uses a colloquial expression to indicate a substantial increase in length.

substantially longer

Indicates a significant amount of additional length.

a lot longer

Offers a more informal way to express a notable increase in length.

FAQs

What's grammatically wrong with the phrase "very longer"?

The phrase "very longer" is grammatically incorrect because "longer" is already a comparative adjective. You can't intensify a comparative adjective with "very". Instead, use "much longer" or "far longer".

How can I use "much longer" in a sentence?

You can use "much longer" to describe something that takes significantly more time. For example, "The movie was much longer than I expected".

Is there a difference in meaning between "much longer" and "far longer"?

While both phrases are grammatically correct alternatives to "very longer", "far longer" often implies a greater difference in length or duration compared to "much longer", but the difference is subtle.

What are some formal alternatives to "very longer"?

For formal contexts, you can replace "very longer" with phrases like "significantly longer", "considerably longer", or "appreciably longer" to maintain a professional tone.