[dllthomas]

I don't know what it means to "degrade from the semantics and syntax of a sentence".

[joesmo]

It makes for shitty writing.

[dllthomas]

That's a much more coherent claim, if subjective. I agree with the weak claim ("it is usually best to drop the very and possibly replace the word it modified"). I disagree with the strong claim ("it is always best ...").