student asking question

What does "even" mean here? How can you I use "even" like this?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

"Even" is used for emphasis here to make a point, especially when comparing different things. Here he compares months with weeks and then weeks with days, so he uses "even" to put emphasis on days and the idea that her grandmother passed away at the right time because she could have passed away earlier. In this case, "even" emphasizes a surprising or extreme idea. Ex: He doesn't even have enough money to buy groceries. Ex: The math teacher doesn't even know how to solve this equation. When used for comparison, usually you can use "even" when the adjectives are the same between the comparable things. Ex: Driving to California is far, but driving to Mexico is even further. Ex: I like this one even better than the last.

Popular Q&As

04/18

Complete the expression with a quiz!