This mini episode teaches you about “at all” and “ever,” which can only be used in certain situations.
Episode 181 of the Everybody ESL podcast is a mini episode that teaches you how to use “at all” and “ever,” which only work in certain situations. Send your questions about English and your suggestions for future episodes to EverybodyESL@gmail.com! (And let me know if you’d like to record the introduction to a future episode.)
In English there are many words and phrases that only work in certain contexts: they only work in negative sentences and in questions. In regular statements that are positive, these words and phrases just don't work. They sound very strange. And in this episode, we are going to talk about two very common expressions that work like this. And they are at all and ever. At all and ever.
If you are around English—if you are talking with people in English or listening to English—you will hear these every day. They are very common.
Now let me show you what I'm talking about when I say they can be used only in certain contexts.
Let's start with at all. What does at all mean? Well, it can sometimes be difficult to define these sorts of words or phrases, but I will try: I think at all means “even a little bit.”
Now, here's an example of a negative sentence that uses at all:
“I don't like spicy food at all.” I don't like spicy food at all. What does this sentence mean? This sentence means “I don't like spicy food even a little bit. I don't like spicy food to any degree, in any amount.” Here we see at all used in a negative sentence: “I don't like spicy food at all.”
We can also use at all in questions, like: “Do you like spicy food at all?” Do you like spicy food at all? This question means “Do you like spicy food at least a little bit? Do you like it in any amount or to any degree?” And at all works there because it is a question.
At all is one of these words or phrases that works in negative sentences and in questions.
Now here's an example of a sentence that uses at all where it does not work. It just sounds strange: “My friend likes spicy food at all.” My friend likes spicy food at all. This sentence does not work because at all is one of these words and phrases that only works in negative sentences and in questions. And this sentence is not a question and it's not negative, so at all just sounds strange in this sentence.
Let's look at that second example: ever. What does ever mean? Well, again, it can be very difficult to define some of these kinds of words separately. But I think we can say that ever means “at least one time” or “at any time.”
I can use ever in a negative sentence. I can say, “She has not ever flown in a helicopter.” She has not ever flown in a helicopter. In other words, she has not flown in a helicopter even one time. She has not flown in a helicopter at any time.
I can also use ever in questions like, “Have you ever flown in a helicopter?” Have you ever flown in a helicopter?” This means “Have you flown in a helicopter at any time? Have you flown in a helicopter at least one time?”
But I cannot use ever in a sentence that is not negative or is not a question. Ever does not work in a sentence like this: “We have ever flown in a helicopter.” We have ever flown in a helicopter. Nope! That sentence doesn't work because, like at all, ever is a word that only works in negative sentences and in questions.
Like I said, there are many phrases that work this way in English, and maybe we will talk about them in future episodes. But for now, I think it’s important that you know how and when to use these very common things: at all and ever.