never

never — 副詞

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

1.副詞A1
釋義

從未；未曾

在任何時間都不曾發生

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.

Amihan 從未去過南美洲，但她夢想有一天能去那裡。

present perfect: have/has never + past participle

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

去年一月下大雪時，夜間公車根本沒有來。

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

絕沒有

強烈否定某事的確發生過

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.

Christopher 堅稱他絕沒有碰到那個花瓶，花瓶是掉下來之後才破的。

denial of a specific past action

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

Erik 發誓他絕沒有收到關於截止日期變更的電子郵件。

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

絕不；根本不

完全不是或完全不可能

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.

這間小公寓絕對不可能住得下一家五口。

will never + be + adjective for impossibility

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

Pedro 說那場爭執根本與金錢無關，只關乎自尊和尊重。

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.