The Past Participles Modified by "Very"

The Past Participles Modified by "Very"

J. Lee

A majority of past participles are modified by the word much with a few exceptions like tired, pleased, and satisfied; their meaning is intensified with the help of the adjective very. 

(1)     I'm very tired, but I can't sleep.

(2)     I'm very pleased to hear from you.

(3)     The customer is very satisfied.

Considering the fact that ordinary adjectives are modified by very, the past participles such as tired, pleased, and satisfied which allows the use of the same word to increase their initial sense can be assumed to be more adjective than the past participle. One of many possible reasons may be that the frequency of the past participles can lead to the entrance of the modifier very rather than much. The more often the past participle is used, the more chance of the acceptance of very is allowed. In other words, the increase in the exposure of any past participles to users reduces the verbal tonality found in almost all past participles, thus allowing for the employment of the normal modifier very.