never

never — adverb

1. at no point in the past, present, or future; not once during any period

1.副詞A1
釋義

at no point in the past, present, or future; not once during any period

例句

Amihan has never been to South America, but she dreams of visiting one day.

present perfect: have/has never + past participle

The night bus never arrived during the heavy snow last January.

never + past simple for a completed period

同義詞
  • not ever

    more emphatic and less common in everyday speech than 'never'

  • at no time

    more formal; common in written English and legal contexts

  • not once

    stresses that something did not happen even a single time

反義詞
  • always

    opposite in temporal meaning: at all times

  • ever

    used in questions and negatives; the positive counterpart to 'never'

文法句型

never + verb

have/has never + past participle

用法筆記

Often used with the present perfect tense (have/has never + past participle) to describe life experiences. With the past simple, 'never' indicates that something did not happen in a specific completed time period.

常見錯誤

❌I have never went to Japan.
✅I have never been to Japan.
💡After 'have/has never', always use the past participle form, not the past simple.
❌I never saw him yesterday' (when simply reporting a fact).
✅I did not see him yesterday.
💡Use 'did not' for neutral statements about a single past event; 'never' adds emotional weight and is better for general or repeated situations.

2. used to strongly deny a claim or accusation, replacing 'not' or 'didn't' with ex

2.副詞A2
釋義

used to strongly deny a claim or accusation, replacing 'not' or 'didn't' with extra emotional force

例句

Christopher insisted he never touched the vase before it fell and broke.

denial of a specific past action

Erik swore he never received the email about the deadline change.

同義詞
  • not at all

    less emphatic than 'never' in this sense; can also mean 'in no way'

  • by no means

    more formal; used for categorical denial

文法句型

never + past simple verb (denial)

never + present simple verb

用法筆記

In this sense, 'never' replaces 'not' or 'didn't' to add emotional force to a denial. Common with verbs of saying, knowing, and promising ('I never said…', 'He never knew…', 'She never agreed…'). Mostly used in spoken English and informal writing.

常見錯誤

❌I never broke the vase' (when reporting neutrally).
✅I did not break the vase.
💡Reserve 'never' for strong, definite denials; for simple factual statements about a single event, use 'did not'.

3. not to the smallest extent; absolutely not, used when something is impossible, c

3.副詞B1
釋義

not to the smallest extent; absolutely not, used when something is impossible, completely untrue, or cannot happen under any condition

例句

This tiny apartment will never be big enough for a family of five.

will never + be + adjective for impossibility

Pedro said the disagreement was never about money, only about pride and respect.

同義詞
  • certainly not

    equally strong but slightly more formal

  • in no way

    emphasizes that not even a small degree is possible

反義詞
  • absolutely

    used to strongly affirm, the positive counterpart to this sense

文法句型

never + comparative adjective

will never + verb

never + verb (categorical)

用法筆記

Often appears before comparative adjectives ('never better', 'never happier', 'never more important') and in fixed expressions like 'never mind' or 'never fear'. The negative force in this sense is stronger than simple 'not' and expresses categorical impossibility.

常見錯誤

❌This will never be enough food' (mild observation).
✅This will not be enough food.
💡Use 'never' only when you mean absolutely impossible, not just unlikely.