Ever and Never

Ever and never are adverbs. Adverbs are words that describe a verb, an adjective or another adverb.

For example, when we say he laughs loudly, the adverb loudly describes the way he laughs.

We usually use ever and never with the Present Perfect, but ever and never can be used with other tenses too.

Ever means 'at any time' and never means 'not at any time'

• Do you ever think of me?
• Does he ever miss me ?
• No one ever asked me what I wanted.
• Have you ever been to Disneyland?
• I'll never forget that day.
  
• She never apologizes even when she is wrong.
• We've never been abroad.
• My grandmother has never travelled by plane.
  

Using Ever with the Present Perfect

Ever with Questions

We use ever with questions when we use it with the Present Perfect Tense.

• Have you ever met a celebrity?
• Have you ever cheated on someone?
• Have you ever lived in a van?
• Have I ever told you how much I love you?
• Has she ever told you a secret?
  
• Have they ever been to Venice?

Never with Negative Sentences

We use never with negative sentences when we use it with the Present Perfect.

• I'm 23 years old and I've never cooked before.
• He's never forgotten my birthday.
  
• We've never lived in a house with a garden.
• She has never wanted to have children.
  
• Brian has never been late for work.
• I've never been a cat-person but this one is really cute.
  

Ever with Superlative Adjectives

We often use ever with superlative adjectives with the Present Perfect Tense .

• He is the smartest guy I’ve ever met.
• This is the worst pizza we’ve ever eaten.
• This is the most beautiful picture I’ve ever seen.
• Sophie is the funniest woman I've ever met.
• That was the most embarrassing moment I've ever had.

Important Note

We do not use never and not together in the same sentence because both of them has a negative meaning.

 Do not say I haven't never been to the US. 

 Say I have never been to the US.

Check Your Understanding

1. Have you _________ tried Turkish coffee?

    a. ever      b. never

2. I cannot believe you've _________ read Harry Potter in your life.        

    a. ever      b. never

3. This is the most expensive bag I've _________ bought.

    a. ever      b. never 

4. We're very excited. We've _________ been to a stadium before to watch a live football match.

    a. ever      b. never

5. Have you _________ been to Russia?

    a. ever      b. never

6. He's the most interesting man I've _________ dated.

    a. ever      b. never 

Answers:

 1. a

 2. b

 3. a

 4. b

 5. a

 6. a

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