Study this example situation:
Tina loves watching TV.
She has a television in every room of the house,
even the bathroom.We use even to say that something is unusual
or surprising. It is not usual to have a television
in the bathroom.
Some more examples:
These pictures are really awful. Even I take better pictures than these.(and I’m certainly not a good photographer)
He always wears a coat, even in hot weather.
The print was very small. I couldn’t read it, even with glasses.
Nobody would help her, not even her best friend. or Not even her best friend would help her
B. You can use even with the verb in the middle of a sentence :
Laura has travelled all over the world. She’s even been to the Antarctic.
They are very rich. They even have their own private jet.
You can use even with a negative (not even, can’t even, don’t even etc.):
I can’t cook. I can’t even boil an egg. (and boiling an egg is very easy)
They weren’t very friendly to us. They didn’t even say hello.Jessica is very fit. She’s been running quite fast and she’s not even out of breath.
C. You can use even + comparative (cheaper / more expensive etc.):
I got up very early, but Jack got up even earlier.
I knew I didn’t have much money, but I have even less than I thought.
We were very surprised to get an email from her. We were even more surprised when shecame to see us a few days later.
D. even though / even when / even if
We use even though / even when / even if + subject + verb:
Even though Tina can’t drive, she has a car.subject + verb
He never shouts, even when he’s angry.
This river is dangerous. It’s dangerous to swim in it, even if you’re a strong swimmer.
We do not use even + subject + verb. We say:
-
Even though she can’t drive, she has a car. (not even she can’t drive)
-
I can’t reach the shelf even if I stand on a chair. (not even I stand)
Compare even if and even (without if):
-
It’s dangerous to swim here even if you’re a strong swimmer. (not even you are)
-
The river is dangerous, even for strong swimmers.
Compare even if and if:
-
We’re going to the beach tomorrow. It doesn’t matter what the weather is like.We’re going even if the weather is bad.
-
We want to go to the beach tomorrow, but we won’t go if the weather is bad.
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
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Total score is 2 out of 8 (25%)
B1-B2 Grammar : Mastering the Use of 'Even' in English: Surprising Situations and Complex Sentences.
Choose the correct word.