Ever-Ever Land

As a child, you may have gone to Never-Neverland, the home of Peter Pan. Now that you’re older, it’s time you visited the parellel universe of Ever-EverLand. It’s about time[1] we clarified how and why we use ever. Ever is primarily used in questions and negative statements. But it also has other uses!


In questions, ever has a similar meaning to at some time. For example:


Do you ever get the feeling someone is watching you?
Have you ever been in a car accident?


Ever is also the positive form of never. Ironically, we use never in affirmative phrases, and ever in negative phrases. A negative phrase is one that contains a negative word like hardly, nobody, none, not, without, etc. For example:


We almost never agree. = We hardly ever agree.
We never talk to each other. = We don’t ever talk to each other.


Notice that in both questions and negative statements, ever, like other frequency adverbs goes before the main verb.


In comparative statements, using than ever, ever means before. For example:


You’re more beautiful than ever.


Ever can also mean always. For example:


I will love you forever and a day!
I have loved you ever since I first laid eyes on you.
And they lived happily ever after.


You can even join ever after a relative pronoun to give it a meaning similar to any[2]. For example:


I’ll do whatever[3] you want me to do. (anything)
I’ll start whenever[4] you’re ready. (anytime)
I’ll go wherever[5] you take me. (anyplace)
I’ll see whoever[6] I please. (anyone)


Here’s a special case:


However[7] you look at it, it’s still the same old thing. (anyway)
I don’t think it’s ugly. However[8] it’s not my style. (but)


Phew! That’s quite a few ways to use ever! I hope you understand now and that we never ever[9] have to talk about this again!


[1] ya era hora, [2] cualquier, [3] lo que sea, [4] cuando sea, [5] donde sea, [6] quien sea, [7] como sea, [8]sin embargo, no obstante, [9] nunca jamás