Interesting adjectives in English can spice up a conversation!
In today’s episode, a listener asks us about the use of the word ‘ever’ before an adjective.
Listen in and find out how to use words like ‘ever-present.’
You’ll also learn how you can add ‘ever’ to spice up English conversations.
The ever-changing world
Michelle asks Lindsay how we go through life in this ever-changing world.
This is a very deep question.
Lindsay shares that looking at what we have today, she can’t help but wonder and compare the world at the time her grandmother was young.
It would be very different because everything changes over time.
Today’s episode is inspired by a listener’s question about the use of the word ‘ever’ with an adjective.
Today’s question
Hello! I have a question for you. What does it mean to be “ever-present”?
And can I make up words myself by using “ever-“? Thanks!
This is a very high-level question.
Before diving into the answer to the question, you should check out episode AEE 1962: How to Be Successful, Happy, and Present in Business with Executive Coach Eric Holsapple
Pairing the word ‘ever’ with an adjective
Let’s start with learning what the word ‘ever’ means.
Based on the Macmillan dictionary, ‘ever’ means always or continuously.
You can definitely pair this with many words and adjectives.
Here are some examples of words that have ‘ever’ in the beginning and what they mean.
#1: Ever-changing
This means something is always changing.
Example:
The dynamic at the office was ever-changing. It was hard to know how everyone felt.
#2: Ever-popular
This means something or someone is very popular.
Example:
Allow me to introduce the ever-popular, extremely talented, PINK!
#3: Ever-present
This means something or someone is always present or perpetual.
This means being in a state or a certain place all the time.
Example:
There was an ever-present feeling that the company could go under at any moment.
Making up words
The listener who sent the question also asked if it was possible to make up words using the word ‘ever.’
The word ‘ever’ is often added to adjectives or verbs ending in -ing.
You can use it to make words more profound.
However, it can’t be added to every word.
You would still have to try it out and see if it makes sense.
It doesn’t hurt to experiment and explore vocabulary.
Here are some examples to give you some ideas you can try:
- Ever-hopeful – means someone is always eager and hopeful, so this can work. “Her ever-hopeful attitude sometimes made her a target for getting disappointed.”
- Ever-angry – this sounds awkward. It doesn’t work. If you’d want to say someone is always you just say it directly like this: “He’s always angry.”
- Ever-stubborn – this also works. “He was ever-stubborn, so it was hard to talk with him about change.”
- Ever-laughing – this may sound a bit funny but it can still work. ”They were ever-laughing, which made them a blast to be around.”
- Ever-working – this works but can sound dramatic. You can still use ‘always working’ but you can say ‘ever-working’ to give a little more emphasis. “She was ever-working, so she didn’t see her friends much.”
Roleplay
Lindsay and Michelle share a roleplay using words with ‘ever.’
This is so you can better understand how it is used in a conversation.
For this purpose, they used the words with ‘ever’ over and over again but in reality, you shouldn’t overuse these words.
In the roleplay, Lindsay and Michelle are discussing the meaning of life.
Lindsay: Why are we here?
Michelle: Who knows? Life is ever-present.
Lindsay: Yes. It is also ever-changing.
Michelle: Yes, we must constantly adapt.
Lindsay: Our conversations are ever-thought provoking.
Michelle: Yes.
Takeaway
A lot of words with ‘ever’ are shared in this episode.
When you use these, you can sound a little formal and whimsical.
Definitely use them but be careful to not overuse them.
It will sound weird and awkward if you use them too much.
You can throw it in a conversation from time to time.
If the conversation requires basic vocabulary, you can just use ‘always.’
Do you have any questions from today’s episode?
Share it in the comments below.
