Never vs Ever
Never and ever are very common words of English language that have different meanings and are used in different contexts. In fact, never is the opposite of ever but the two are also used together in a single sentence confusing many students of English language. This article attempts to highlight the differences between never and ever by explaining their meanings.
Never
Never is a word that is used to indicate the fact of not ever or not occurring in the past or future. If you have not been to a place at any time in your life, you say that you have never been to that place. If you use never for something, it means that you have not used that thing at any time in the past till now. If you do not touch office files on Sunday, you express the fact by saying that you never work on Sunday. In short, never indicates no, not at all, and not under any circumstances.
Ever
Ever has several meanings as it can be used to indicate the fact of readiness as in ever ready and it can also be used to mean at any time. ‘Ever’ also means seldom. Take a look at the following sentences to understand the meaning and usage of the adverb ever.
• Have you ever been to Florida (No, I have never been to Florida)
• If you ever need my help, I am just a phone call away
• If I ever see you bunking your college classes, I will give you a serious thrashing
• I will come over to your place when ever I get some free time
• It hardly ever rains in this part of the country
• He was nattily dressed as ever.
• She has been in a depressed state of mind ever since her husband passed away
Never vs Ever
• Ever is the opposite of never that means not at any time
• Whenever you want to say no in an emphatic manner, you use the word never as it indicates the feeling of not at all.
• If something has not happened in the past or future, the word never is to indicate the fact
• Ever means always as in ever ready
• If someone has not seen a horror movie in his life, it is better to say he has never seen a horror movie