whoever

whoever — 代名詞

1. Used to refer to a particular person whose name you do not know or have not said

1.代名詞B1
釋義

就是…的人

指特定但未指名的人

Used to refer to a particular person whose name you do not know or have not said, often when talking about what that person has done or what is true about them.

例句

Whoever parked in the space behind Lakshmi's car should move it now.

把車停在 Lakshmi 車後方空格的人，現在應該把車移開。

whoever + past tense verb for an unidentified specific person

The manager wants to speak to whoever handled the account for the Nguyen family.

經理想和負責阮家帳戶的人談談。

同義詞
  • the person who

    more explicit; used when you could name the person but choose not to

文法句型

whoever + verb clause

whoever + past tense verb

2. Any person at all — used to say that a statement or rule applies to every person

2.代名詞B1
釋義

任何人

不限對象，凡符合條件者

Any person at all — used to say that a statement or rule applies to every person who meets a condition, without limiting who that might be.

例句

Whoever wants to join the hiking trip this weekend should sign up by Friday.

任何人如果想參加這個週末的健行活動，請在星期五前報名。

whoever wants to + infinitive for a general invitation

The school offers a free bus ride to whoever lives more than three kilometres away.

學校為住在三公里以上的學生提供免費巴士。

同義詞
  • anyone who

    interchangeable in most contexts; slightly less formal

  • everyone who

    emphasises that all such people are included, not just any one

  • who

    informal and less common in this role; 'who' usually asks a question rather than making a general statement

文法句型

whoever + verb

to/for + whoever + clause

常見錯誤

❌Whoever want to come can come.
✅Whoever wants to come can come.
💡Whoever always takes a singular verb, even though it can refer to many people.

3. Used in questions instead of 'who' to show strong surprise, shock, confusion, or

3.代名詞B2
釋義

到底是誰

疑問句中表達驚訝或不滿

Used in questions instead of 'who' to show strong surprise, shock, confusion, or anger about something that happened or that someone did.

例句

Whoever would choose to live in a place with no electricity or running water?

到底誰會選擇住在一個沒有電也沒有自來水的地方？

Whoever + would + verb for disbelief

Whoever told you such a ridiculous story about the mayor's family?

到底是誰跟你說了那個關於市長家人的荒唐故事？

同義詞

文法句型

Whoever + would/could + verb

Whoever + past tense verb (in questions)

用法筆記

This sense is mainly used in informal or strongly emotional speech. In neutral or formal writing, use 'who' instead of 'whoever' when asking a question — the extra emphasis can sound out of place in a serious document or academic text.

常見錯誤

❌Whoever could have done this?' (in a formal report).
✅Who could have done this?
💡for formal contexts, drop 'ever' and use plain 'who'.

4. No matter who — introduces a situation where a person's identity makes no differ

4.代名詞B2
釋義

無論誰

不論是誰，結果都不變

No matter who — introduces a situation where a person's identity makes no difference to what happens next; the outcome stays the same regardless of which person is involved.

例句

Whoever becomes the next team leader, the project must be finished by June.

無論誰當下一任組長，這個專案都必須在六月前完成。

Whoever + present tense verb + comma — shows the result does not change

Whoever answers the door, do not let anyone inside without checking their ID first.

無論誰來應門，沒有先看證件絕對不要讓任何人進來。

同義詞

文法句型

Whoever + verb, + main clause

Whoever + clause (as fronted adverbial)