Question: I hear phrases like 

> 
> I very almost fell over! 
> 
> 
> 

often and to me they sound awkward. Is the word, "very", wrong, just superfluous or completely valid? Should this wording be avoided?

Answer: 
You can say 

> 
> "I very nearly fell over!" 
> 
> 
> 

but to say 

> 
> "I very almost fell over!" 
> 
> 
> 

will brand you as very nearly a beginning speaker of English. This is a bit harsh for English learners, since *nearly* and *almost* mean almost the same thing. But that's how it goes sometimes.
I would consider the use of 'very' as shown in these examples to be superfluous and redundant. Certainly the use of 'very almost' together not only sounds wrong but is grammatically incorrect. In the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary which I use for my students, various examples are given; one has to be extremely careful in the use of 'very' and one should note that 'very' should not be used with adjectives and adverbs that alrady have an extreme meaning although 'very' can be used to emphasise superlative adjectives however, the inclusion of 'much' or 'very much' would be preferable. This perhaps is where the confusion lies.