Even 當副詞用時意為「(用來表示令人驚訝、非比尋常、出乎意料或極端的事物) 竟然,甚至,連,即使」,通常位在句子的中間,亦即位在主詞和主動詞之間 (即普通動詞之前),或位在語氣助動詞或第一個助動詞之後,或位在當主動詞的 BE 動詞之後。例如:
- Mary left without even apologizing. (瑪麗竟然沒有道歉就離開了)
- Some people never even read a newspaper, let alone a book. (有些人從不看報紙,遑論讀書了)
- My mother hasn’t even started making dinner. (我媽媽竟然還沒開始做晚飯)
- Peter didn’t even have enough money to get a Universiade ticket. (彼得甚至沒有足夠的錢來買世大運門票)
- Tom doesn’t even know who I am. (湯姆甚至連我是誰都不知道)
- It’s a really useful website if you’re interested in online games. There’s even a section on walkthroughs and cheats. (如果你對線上遊戲有興趣,那麼它是個很有用的網站。它甚至有個教學和密技區)
我們可以將 even 或 not even 放在句中我們要強調的字詞或片語前面。例如:
- Everyone likes money – even a five-year-old does. (每個人都喜歡錢 - 即使是五歲小孩也喜歡)
- Even the dog refused to eat it. (連狗都不吃這東西)
- John never stopped working, not even on New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day. (約翰從未停止工作,連除夕/元旦都沒有)
- Don’t tell anyone, not even your husband. (別告訴任何人,連你先生也不要說)