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Are these correct ways to use very with a noun?

She is the very girl I want.

On the very year of 2012, comes the end of the world.

This is the very company everyone wants to work for.

What I understand is that very can be used to emphasize the importance of a noun.

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1  
I think 'comes' or 'wants' in the 2nd or 3rd examples would fit better. Also, you're already being specific with 2012 so 'very year' does not really make sense imho. – Alok Aug 18 '12 at 1:44

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up vote 6 down vote accepted

It is correct, and the dictionary gives a definition for "very" used this way:

precise; particular: That is the very item we want

so, "very" can be used to indicate that something is the right and exact thing you were looking for.

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It may help to know that "very" was once an adjective meaning "true" and that the adverbial form was "verily", or "truly". The meaning and usage have slipped over time. – bye Jun 29 '11 at 6:09
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, I knew what it meant!" – Thursagen Jun 29 '11 at 6:26
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I thought it likely that you did (it's hard to have been exposed to any of the Big Three -- Shakespeare, the KJV or the BCP without having noticed something going on). I was merely providing additional info to the OP. – bye Jun 29 '11 at 6:55
BCP ? Bathocuproine? Business Continuity Planning? aha! 5th choice in Google: Book of Common Prayer! – GEdgar Jun 29 '11 at 14:11
up vote 0 down vote

When in doubt, try using the reflexive noun instead of "very" + noun for emphasis. Both are correct, though. And as far as I am concerned, there is no difference in terms of formality.

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What is a reflexive noun? The girl herself, with an emphatic pronoun postfixed? – tchrist Aug 18 '12 at 4:12
I'm not sure I understand what you mean. Can you use one of the examples to illustrate your point? – KitFox♦ Aug 20 '12 at 14:42

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