Ever vs never: How and When to Use in English
Quick and simple lesson to help you understand grammar better.
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Ever vs never
Ever is used in negative sentences, to express a doubt, or to ask a question. It is the opposite of always:
Don't ever talk to me like that! Never talk to me like that!
If you ever see him, tell him he still owes me money. If you see him at any time, tell him he still owes me money.
Have you ever heard of Flint Westwood? Do you know who Flint Westwood is?
Never and ever share similar meanings but are used differently. Never means 'at no time' and is a negative term, used in affirmative constructions (to avoid double negatives). Ever means 'at any time' and is generally not used in affirmative sentences (apart from the exception mentioned below).
I never want to see this boy in your bedroom again.
I don't ever want to see this boy in your bedroom again.
I do not want to see this boy in your bedroom in the future.
I don't ever want to see this boy in your bedroom again.
I do not want to see this boy in your bedroom in the future.
He has never seen a nose so big.
He hasn't ever seen a nose so big.
At no time in his life has he seen a nose so big.
He hasn't ever seen a nose so big.
At no time in his life has he seen a nose so big.
Exception: ever can be used in affirmative sentences after superlatives, or restrictive adjectives like only, first:
Harold Warbuckle is the most demanding client I have ever met. I have never met a more demanding client than Harold Warbuckle.
The first job I ever had was in a toothpaste factory. The job in the toothpaste factory was the very first one I had in my life.
Exercise 1
I don't want to see your ugly face again.
I don't ever want to see your ugly face again.
ever: 'Ever' is the best choice here. In a sentence which already carries negation, 'ever' is used as the affirmative equivalent of 'never' to express the idea of something which happens 'at no time' or 'on no occasion'
never: Using 'never' forms a double negative, which is grammatically incorrect.
always: 'Always' does not make sense in this construction. In English, 'always' is rarely used in negative constructions.
sometimes: 'Sometimes' does not make sense here. The construction 'I don't' is never followed by 'sometimes' to express frequency.
Exercise 2
Horatio has liked Kevin very much.
Horatio has never liked Kevin very much.
never: Because this sentence carries no negation, we must use the negative term 'never' to create a grammatically correct statement.
ever: Using 'ever' forms a grammatically incorrect sentence. In order to correctly express this thought in an affirmative construction, we must use a negative term.
Exercise 3
Icarus's mother advises him to leave home without a clean pair of underwear.
Icarus's mother advises him never to leave home without a clean pair of underwear.
never: Because this sentence carries no negation, we must use the negative term 'never' to create a grammatically correct statement.
ever: Using 'ever' forms a grammatically incorrect sentence. In an affirmative construction such as this one, we must use a negative term to correctly complete the sentence.
Exercise 4
Polly says that she hasn't told a lie, but we know better.
Polly says that she hasn't ever told a lie, but we know better.
ever: 'Ever' is the best choice here. Because this construction is negative ('hasn't' carries the negation), we must use the affirmative term 'ever' to complete the sentence correctly.
never: 'Hasn't' already carries the negation of this sentence. Using 'never' forms a double negative, which is grammatically incorrect.
always: 'Always' does not fit in this sentence. 'Hasn't' and 'always' cannot be used together to express frequency.
Exercise 5
Horatio doesn't wear protective gear in the laboratory.
Horatio doesn't ever wear protective gear in the laboratory.
ever: 'Ever' is the correct choice here because 'doesn't' carries the negation of the sentence. We must choose an affirmative word in this case.
never: To say Horatio 'doesn't never' forms a double negative, which is grammatically incorrect.
nothing: 'Nothing' does not make sense here.
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