ever
/ˈevə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈevər/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈe-vər/ (ame, mw)
ever — 副詞
1. at any time in the past, present, or future — used especially in questions, nega
曾經
用於否定句或疑問句，表示在任何時候
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?
你去過台北的夜市嗎？
ever in questions with present perfect
Yasmin said she has not ever flown on an aeroplane.
Yasmin 說她從來沒有搭過飛機。
ever in negative statements
If you ever visit Kyoto, try the matcha ice cream there.
如果你去京都，一定要試試那裡的抹茶冰淇淋。
Nobody has ever explained the rules to us properly.
從來沒有人好好跟我們解釋過規則。
Did you ever meet Professor Adegoke during your time at the university?
你在大學期間見過 Adegoke 教授嗎？
- 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
前所未有
用於比較級後，表示比以往更…
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.
今年夏天的炎熱比以往更嚴重。
worse than ever — comparative + than ever
Camille felt happier than ever after finishing her final exams.
Camille 考完期末考後，感到前所未有的快樂。
The company needs new staff more than ever to meet demand.
公司比以往更需要新員工來滿足需求。
Jude ran faster than ever but still finished second in the race.
Jude 跑得比以往都快，但還是只拿到比賽第二名。
Online shopping is more popular than ever among young people in Brazil.
網購在巴西年輕人之間比以往更受歡迎。
- 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
和以前一樣
用於as...as結構，表示與過去相同
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.
週六早上，這個老市集和以往一樣熱鬧。
as + adjective + as ever — unchanged quality
Hao is as kind as ever and offered to carry my bags.
Hao 和以往一樣親切，主動幫我提行李。
The debate in parliament was as heated as ever last night.
昨晚國會的辯論和以往一樣激烈。
Grandma's apple pie tastes as good as ever.
外婆的蘋果派和以往一樣好吃。
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
總是
持續不停地；一直
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'.
這個童話故事的結尾是「從此過著幸福快樂的日子」。
for ever / ever after — fixed phrase in stories
Romi's ever-present smile made her popular with everyone at work.
Romi 臉上總是掛著微笑，讓她很受同事歡迎。
ever + adjective — ever-present
The garden seemed to grow for ever in the summer rain.
夏天的雨水讓花園好像不停地生長。
Modern technology moves forwards at an ever-increasing speed, changing how we live.
現代科技以不斷加快的速度前進，改變了我們的生活方式。
The couple promised to love each other for ever and always.
這對伴侶承諾永遠愛著對方。
- 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
從此
從過去某時到現在一直
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.
Mayumi 在 2019 年搬到溫哥華，從此就一直住在那裡。
ever since — from a past time until now
Ever since Obi started cycling to work, he has felt much healthier.
自從 Obi 開始騎腳踏車上班，他覺得自己健康多了。
ever since + clause at start of sentence
The dog ran away from home two weeks ago and has not returned ever since.
那隻狗兩週前離家，從此再也沒有回來過。
Ayesha gave up sugar last year and has slept much better ever since.
Ayesha 去年戒糖之後，睡眠品質從此好了很多。
- 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
一如既往
和往常一樣不變
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.
Allison 和往常一樣，準備了超多食物給大家吃。
as ever — introductory phrase before clause
Rafael forgot his wallet, as ever, so I paid for the meal.
Rafael 一如既往忘了帶錢包，所以由我付了餐費。
as ever — parenthetical comment mid-sentence
The morning train was late, as ever, on a rainy Monday.
星期一下雨的早晨，早班火車和往常一樣誤點了。
As ever, Grandma's advice was kind and full of common sense.
奶奶的建議一如既往地溫暖又有道理。
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
信尾問候
信件結尾的友好問候語
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.
親愛的 Kevin，謝謝你的邀請，到時候見。你的朋友 Iris 敬上。
letter format: 'Yours ever' before signature
Lan wrote 'Yours ever' at the bottom of her card to her grandmother.
Lan 在她寄給祖母的卡片末尾寫上「Yours ever」的信尾問候語。
The old letters in the box all ended with the phrase 'Ever yours.'
盒子裡那些舊信的結尾都是「Ever yours」這句話。
Caio always signs his emails to close friends with the words 'Yours ever.'
Caio 在寫給好友的電子郵件結尾總會加上「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
始終；向來
修飾形容詞，表示持續或經常
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.
租金不斷上漲，讓 Dario 開始尋找更小的公寓。
ever + present participle adjective
Ayana's grandmother was an ever-present source of comfort and good advice.
Ayana 的奶奶始終是她安慰與建議的來源。
Technology is an ever-changing field that requires constant learning.
科技是一個不斷變化的領域，需要持續學習。
The singer's ever-growing popularity surprised even her own manager.
那位歌手日益增長的知名度，連她自己的經紀人都感到驚訝。
In a big city, the ever-present noise of traffic can be very tiring.
在大城市裡，車流不絕的噪音可能讓人非常疲憊。
- 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
究竟；到底
用在疑問詞後，表達驚訝或不滿
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?
你究竟為什麼在沒找到下一份工作前就辭職了？
why ever + inverted subject-verb for surprise
How ever did Tamar manage to finish the whole report in one night?
Tamar 到底怎麼在一個晚上就把整份報告寫完的？
When ever are you going to clean up your messy bedroom?
你到底什麼時候才要清理你那亂糟糟的房間？
What ever gave you the idea that Iris did not like Thai food?
究竟是誰告訴你 Iris 不喜歡泰國菜的？
Where ever did Christopher buy that strange-looking hat?
Christopher 到底在哪裡買到那頂奇怪的帽子？
- 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
非常；極其
口語中加強程度的副詞，相當於「非常」
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.
那些孩子穿上學校制服看起來非常可愛。
ever so + adjective
Élise was ever such a helpful person around the office.
Élise 在公司裡是一個非常樂於助人的人。
ever such a + adjective + noun
Thanks ever so much for helping me move last weekend.
非常感謝你上週末來幫我搬家。
That was ever such a lovely party — we had a wonderful time.
那場派對真的非常棒——我們玩得很開心。
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.'