The word ‘even’ can be used as an adverb and an adjective. Take a look at some of its uses in this lesson.
‘Even’ as an adverb
‘Even’ is used as an adverb when we want to add emphasis to show that something is surprising or extreme.
In this example, ‘even’ is used to emphasise the fact that he was so poor that he did not have enough money to some food.
He didn’t even have enough money to buy some fresh fruit and veg.
In this example, ‘even’ is used to add emphasis and demonstrate the surprising effort made by the friends.
My friends threw me such a memorable birthday party. They even invited some clowns to perform at the party!
‘Even’ as an adjective
‘Even’ can also be an adjective and we can use it in a few ways:
- To refer to flat, smooth surface
We spent ages trying to lay the tiles so the floor would be perfectly even.
- To refer to a whole number that can be divided exactly by two
What is the next even number after 18?
- To mean ‘equal in number’ or balanced
We want to have an even number of students from each city.
At half time the scores were even.
- To refer to a period that is continuous or regular
We should try to work at an even rate so we don’t wear ourselves out.
