Here’s a question for you. What’s the difference between “She even called me,” “Even she called me,” and “She called even me”?

Just one small word has moved, yet the focus of the sentence has changed.

In this episode, we explain how to use ‘even’ with some real-life examples and you’ll learn how its position can change what a listener understands. So, let’s make English a little easier, one word at a time!

A voice message from Rocio from Cádiz.
Porridge oats for breakfast
“I have even a ‘spurtle ‘ – a special wooden spoon

Are you a fan of porridge in the winter?
What should you know about the position of the word ‘even’ in a sentence?

The difference between even though, even if and even so
https://inglespodcast.com/234

The word “even” can appear in different positions, depending on what you want to emphasize. The key thing to remember is that “even” usually comes immediately before the word, phrase, or idea it emphasizes.
This is the most important rule. The position of “even” changes the meaning or emphasis of the sentence.
Emphasizing the subject: Even Harry passed the exam.
Emphasizing the verb/action: Harry even passed the exam.
Emphasizing the object: Harry passed even the exam.
The basic sentence stays the same, but the focus changes depending on where “even” appears.

“Even” before a noun or pronoun
Place even directly before the person or thing you want to emphasize.
Even my brother understood the joke.
She invited even her ex-boyfriend.
I told everyone, even them.

“Even” before a verb
When emphasizing an action, even generally comes after the auxiliary verb and before the main verb:
I even have a spurtle.
He even offered me a chocolate biscuit.
We even work at the weekend.
If there is an auxiliary verb (have, be, will, can, etc.), even normally comes after the auxiliary and before the main verb.
She has even visited Valencia.
He can even speak Chinese.
I’m even considering buying a wheelchair with a built-in microphone.

When there are two or more auxiliary verbs, even generally comes immediately after the first auxiliary verb:
We’ll even be podcasting when we’re in our 80’s!
The crazy killer had even been planning the murder before he met the victim.
The scandalous article might even be being published as we speak.
Remember – subject + auxiliary verb + even (+ auxiliary verb + auxiliary verb…) + main verb.

“Even” before adjectives and adverbs
Use even before an adjective or adverb when you want to emphasize something unexpected.
The political situation is even worse than we thought.
Craig speaks even faster than Reza.
The restaurant was even more expensive than I expected.

“Even” in negative sentences
Even can appear in negative sentences to emphasize that something surprising did not happen.
He didn’t even say hello.
He can’t even cook a meal.
I don’t even know his name.
My estranged wife hasn’t even been living with me since last year.
Notice the position of “not”: subject + auxiliary + not + even (+ more auxiliaries) + main verb

“Even” at the beginning of a sentence
You can put even at the beginning when the emphasized element comes first.
Even Craig can understand this!
Even after all these years, I remember my first girlfriend.
Even though it was raining, we went out.
Even topics we don’t know much about appear in this podcast from time to time!

…and now it’s your turn to practise your English. Even if you’ve never sent us a voice message before, we’d love to get your feedback on today’s podcast.
Send us a voice message. https://www.speakpipe.com/inglespodcast
Send us an email with a comment or question to craig@inglespodcast.com or belfastreza@gmail.com

If you’re a Spanish speaker and you want to improve your English with free and paid resources, visit the mansioningles website at mansioningles.com and for paid products you can browse the online store at https://store.mansioningles.net/

If you would like a full transcription of this podcast you might consider joining our Patreon program. As a Patreon member, you’ll receive the full transcription by email every week so that you can read every word that we say. https://www.patreon.com/inglespodcast

In next week’s episode: Guinness World Records; how weird can you get?

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The music in this podcast is by Pitx. The track is called ‘See You Later’