UNIT 111 Even

A. Study this example situation:

Tina loves watching television. She has a TV set 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 TV set in the bathroom.

Some more examples:

* These photographs aren't very good. Even I could take better photographs than these. (and I'm certainly not a good photographer)

* He always wears a coat - even in hot weather.

* Nobody would lend her the money - not even her best friend. or Not even her best friend would lend her the money.

B. Very often we use even with the verb in the middle of a sentence (see Unit 109):

* Sue has travelled all over the world. She has even been to the Antarctic. (It's especially unusual to go to the Antarctic, so she must have travelled a lot.)

* They are very rich. They even have their own private jet.

Study these examples with not even:

* 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.

* Jenny is very fit. She's just run five miles and she's not even out of breath.

C. You can use even + a comparative (cheaper/more expensive etc.):

* I got up very early but John got up even earlier.

* I knew I didn't have much money but I've got even less than I thought.

* We were surprised to get a letter from her. We were even more surprised when she came to see us a few days later.

D. Even though/even when/even if

You can use even + though/when/if to join sentences. Note that you cannot use even alone in the following examples:

* Even though she can't drive, she has bought a car. (not 'Even she can't drive.')

* He never shouts, even when he's angry.

* I'll probably see you tomorrow. But even if I don't see you tomorrow, we're sure to see each other before the weekend. (not 'even I don't see you')

Compare even if and if:

* We're going to the beach tomorrow. It doesn't matter what the weather is like. We're going to the beach even if it's raining.

* We hope to go to the beach tomorrow, but we won't go if it's raining.