ever
ever — adverb
1. at any time in the past, present, or future — used especially in questions, nega
at any time in the past, present, or future — used especially in questions, negative statements, and conditional sentences where the time is not fixed.
Have you ever visited the night market in Taipei?
ever in questions with present perfect
Yasmin said she has not ever flown on an aeroplane.
ever in negative statements
If you ever visit Kyoto, try the matcha ice cream there.
Nobody has ever explained the rules to us properly.
Did you ever meet Professor Adegoke during your time at the university?
- at any time
more formal and less common in everyday speech
- at all
used after negatives, e.g. 'I do not have any money at all' — stronger emphasis
- never
at no time — the direct opposite in negative contexts
文法句型
ever used in questions with present perfect
ever used with a negative
ever used in if-clauses
用法筆記
In everyday affirmative statements about a single past event, use 'once' or no adverb at all — 'I have been to London' not 'I have ever been to London'.
常見錯誤
2. used after a comparative adjective or adverb to mean 'more than at any previous
used after a comparative adjective or adverb to mean 'more than at any previous time' — making the comparison stronger.
The summer heat this year is worse than ever before.
worse than ever — comparative + than ever
Camille felt happier than ever after finishing her final exams.
The company needs new staff more than ever to meet demand.
Jude ran faster than ever but still finished second in the race.
Online shopping is more popular than ever among young people in Brazil.
- at any time before
a fuller, more formal equivalent of 'than ever'
- than before
less emphatic; compares only with the past rather than any time
文法句型
comparative + than ever
用法筆記
Often followed by 'before' ('better than ever before') for extra emphasis, though 'before' is optional.
3. used in the pattern 'as + adjective/adverb + as ever' to say that someone or som
used in the pattern 'as + adjective/adverb + as ever' to say that someone or something is just as much as they have always been — nothing has changed.
The old market is as lively as ever on Saturday mornings.
as + adjective + as ever — unchanged quality
Hao is as kind as ever and offered to carry my bags.
The debate in parliament was as heated as ever last night.
Grandma's apple pie tastes as good as ever.
文法句型
as + adjective + as ever
as + adverb + as ever
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 2 (THAN EVER): this sense uses 'as + adjective + as ever' for equality, not 'comparative + than ever' for increase.
常見錯誤
4. at all times; continuously or repeatedly over a long period, often used in fixed
at all times; continuously or repeatedly over a long period, often used in fixed phrases like 'for ever' and 'happily ever after'.
The children's story ends with the line 'happily ever after'.
for ever / ever after — fixed phrase in stories
Romi's ever-present smile made her popular with everyone at work.
ever + adjective — ever-present
The garden seemed to grow for ever in the summer rain.
Modern technology moves forwards at an ever-increasing speed, changing how we live.
The couple promised to love each other for ever and always.
- always
the standard word for 'at all times'; 'ever' in this sense is mostly limited to set phrases
- constantly
more formal, emphasising uninterrupted action
- never
at no time — the opposite of 'always'
文法句型
ever + present participle (ever-growing)
ever + adjective (ever-present)
for ever
用法筆記
When used alone (not in a fixed phrase), 'always' is far more common in everyday English than 'ever' for the meaning 'at all times'.
5. continuously from a particular point in the past until now — used as part of the
continuously from a particular point in the past until now — used as part of the phrase 'ever since' to connect a past event to the present.
Mayumi moved to Vancouver in 2019 and has lived there ever since.
ever since — from a past time until now
Ever since Obi started cycling to work, he has felt much healthier.
ever since + clause at start of sentence
The dog ran away from home two weeks ago and has not returned ever since.
Ayesha gave up sugar last year and has slept much better ever since.
- since then
less emphatic; 'ever since' stresses continuous duration
- from that time on
more formal, less common in speech
文法句型
ever since + point in time
ever since + clause
present perfect + ever since
用法筆記
The phrase 'ever since' can be followed by a noun phrase ('ever since 2018') or a clause ('ever since she moved'). The same meaning can be expressed by 'since then' at the end of a sentence.
常見錯誤
6. used in the fixed expression 'as ever' to say that a person's behaviour or a sit
used in the fixed expression 'as ever' to say that a person's behaviour or a situation is the same as it always is — nothing has changed from its usual pattern.
As ever, Allison had prepared far too much food for everyone.
as ever — introductory phrase before clause
Rafael forgot his wallet, as ever, so I paid for the meal.
as ever — parenthetical comment mid-sentence
The morning train was late, as ever, on a rainy Monday.
As ever, Grandma's advice was kind and full of common sense.
文法句型
as ever — at start or end of clause
7. a friendly word placed just before your signature when writing a personal messag
a friendly word placed just before your signature when writing a personal message to a close friend or relative, showing warmth in the farewell.
Dear Kevin, thanks for the invite. See you soon. Yours ever, Iris.
letter format: 'Yours ever' before signature
Lan wrote 'Yours ever' at the bottom of her card to her grandmother.
The old letters in the box all ended with the phrase 'Ever yours.'
Caio always signs his emails to close friends with the words 'Yours ever.'
文法句型
Yours ever + [signature]
Ever yours + [signature]
用法筆記
This sense only appears in the fixed phrases 'Yours ever' or 'Ever yours' at the end of informal letters or emails.
8. used before an adjective to stress that a quality is constant, continuous, or ha
used before an adjective to stress that a quality is constant, continuous, or happens all the time — for example, an ever-present worry or an ever-growing pile of work.
The ever-increasing cost of rent made Dario look for a smaller flat.
ever + present participle adjective
Ayana's grandmother was an ever-present source of comfort and good advice.
Technology is an ever-changing field that requires constant learning.
The singer's ever-growing popularity surprised even her own manager.
In a big city, the ever-present noise of traffic can be very tiring.
- always
more general; 'ever-' is more emphatic and poetic
- constantly
works as an adverb, not as a prefix on adjectives
- never
opposite in meaning but not used in the same syntactic pattern
文法句型
ever + [adjective] + [noun]
ever-[adjective]
用法筆記
In writing, the ever-adjective combination is often hyphenated (ever-present, ever-changing). Unlike sense 10 ('ever so'), this sense stresses that something is always true or happening.
常見錯誤
9. used after question words such as how, why, when, where, or what to express surp
used after question words such as how, why, when, where, or what to express surprise, shock, disbelief, or strong confusion.
Why ever did you decide to leave your job without another offer?
why ever + inverted subject-verb for surprise
How ever did Tamar manage to finish the whole report in one night?
When ever are you going to clean up your messy bedroom?
What ever gave you the idea that Iris did not like Thai food?
Where ever did Christopher buy that strange-looking hat?
- how come
even less formal and does not use inversion
文法句型
[question word] ever + [inverted clause]
用法筆記
Unlike 'whatever,' 'whenever,' 'wherever' (which are pronouns or conjunctions meaning 'no matter what/when/where'), this sense keeps 'ever' as a separate word after the question word and always uses subject-verb inversion.
常見錯誤
10. used before 'so' or 'such' to strongly intensify an adjective or noun phrase — m
used before 'so' or 'such' to strongly intensify an adjective or noun phrase — meaning 'very' or 'really' in an expressive, colloquial way.
The children looked ever so cute in their school uniforms.
ever so + adjective
Élise was ever such a helpful person around the office.
ever such a + adjective + noun
Thanks ever so much for helping me move last weekend.
That was ever such a lovely party — we had a wonderful time.
文法句型
ever so + [adjective/adverb]
ever such + [noun phrase]
用法筆記
Primarily used in British English informal speech. Avoid in formal writing. The pattern 'ever so' is more common than 'ever such.' Not to be confused with sense 8 ('WITH ADJECTIVES'), where 'ever-' means 'always.'