In order to point to our next work that planned to be done in the near future, is it common to use "our very next work"? Googling could not provide reliable help, by the way!
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The are usage instances of “very next work” in Google Books. books.google.com/ngrams/… What is your concern?– user 66974Commented Apr 13, 2018 at 7:24
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@user2922582, Since the usage is very limited, it seems to be uncommon!– EiliaCommented Apr 13, 2018 at 7:34
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Well, nonetheless it is correct and clear. The sources from Ngram are reliable, so I don’t see why you shouldn’t use such expression.– user 66974Commented Apr 13, 2018 at 7:44
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2What sort of work? In such a usage, work is normally a discrete piece of work and generally artistic like a musical composition or a sculpture. It wouldn't normally be used about bringing a database into service, for example. You have used "meaning in context" but not provided any.– Andrew Leach ♦Commented Apr 13, 2018 at 8:29
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@AndrewLeach, I mean a research study.– EiliaCommented Apr 13, 2018 at 8:41
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1 Answer
In the (somewhat limited) context you give (which I take to mean "the next task to be performed"), no, I don't think "our very next work" is a common phrase (it certainly sounds "wrong" to my Br.E ears).
As Andrew Leach says in a comment, that phrase (or, at least, "very next work") would be more common of a book, composition or other "artistic" work, and – to my mind – would generally be used when talking about works that have already been produced, rather than tasks yet to be done. This is borne out by a number of the Ngram searches that user2922582 provided:
Then, after that, my very next work was Bulletproof Monk
This appears, among other strange things, from his very next work. " The Fear of God"
The very next work published in the Kierkegaardian authorship
As an alternative, I would probably just go with either our [very] next piece of work or our [very] next task. In both cases, I would say the "very" is somewhat optional, and I would probably not use it.
answered Apr 13, 2018 at 8:58
