Speaker 1: They didn't even say thank you. Not they didn't say
thank you. They didn't even say thank you, So what's
the deal with even in negative sentences?
Speaker 2: Welcome to another Happy English podcast, coming to you from
New York City, and here's your English teacher, Michael.
Speaker 1: All right, thank you John, and thanks everyone. It's Michael
here from Happy English and I help people speak English better.
And this is Happy English Podcast, Episode eight ninety four.
What does even mean in negative sentences? Thanks for tuning
in and welcome back to the Happy English Podcast. So
today we're going to continue our deep dive into a
small but powerful word in English. Even in episode eighty
we looked at how to use even in general, like
for comparisons and emphasis. But today we're gonna zoom in
on something more specific and honestly, something really common, using
even in negative sentences. Let's go back to that first example.
They didn't even say thank you. That sentence is negative,
it uses didn't. But by adding even, we change the feeling.
We're not just saying effect. They didn't say thank you,
We're showing surprise, maybe frustration, maybe disappointment. Like out of
all the possible things they could have done, they didn't
even do the most basic, most expected one, no thank
you nothing. So when we use even in a negative
sentence where highlighting how unexpected, extreme, or disappointing the situation is,
they didn't even say thank you. Here's another example, I
didn't even get a chance to say goodbye. Maybe your
friend left quickly or you were late. If you just
say I didn't say goodbye, that's a fact with no
particular nuance. But saying I didn't even get a chance
to say goodbye, that tells us how upset you are
about it and how unexpected the situation was. Let's try
a few more everyday examples. Maybe you're talking about your
coworker at lunch, like Tommy didn't even offer to help
clean up. That's not just a fact, you're showing a
little judgment. It's like everyone else helped, but Tommy not
only didn't he help clean up, he didn't even offer
to do it. Using even makes the sentence more emotional,
like you're expressing your disappointment or surprise. How about this one,
we didn't even get a break during the meeting. It
sounds like the meeting was too long or intense, and
you're emphasizing how tough it was no break, not even
a short one, or this, Uh, what's the deal with
Jenny at the party last night? She didn't even look
at me. Ouch. That one feels strong, right. It tells
you a lot about how the speaker felt, maybe ignored,
hurt or shocked. Jenny didn't even look at me, So
what's really happening here? When we use even in a
negative sentence, we're doing two things at once. We're pointing
to something small, expected, or basic, and we're saying, despite
the fact that it was something small, expected, or basic,
it never happened, Like, I guess she doesn't care about me.
She didn't even text me on my birthday. Wow. Using
even makes the sentence feel heavy. The birthday part already
sets up some emotional weight. But didn't even text me
highlights the disappointment. And by the way, you can use
even with questions, especially when you're shocked or annoyed, like
if someone doesn't show up to a meeting, you can
say something like, we were supposed to have a meeting today,
didn't you even check the schedule? Using even with a
negative question like this adds strong emphasis that you are
annoyed or bothered by what happened. Like if your partner
forgets that it's your anniversary, you can say, don't you
even know what day today is? Again, even takes a
basic question and adds extra intensity or emotion, So let's recap.
Even in negative sentences shows that something expected, normal or
basic didn't happen and the speaker feels surprised, disappointed, or
even a little angry. Even adds emotion and emphasis, and
you'll hear it in both both statements and questions. It's
very common in everyday English. So here's your challenge this week.
Try listening for how native speakers use even in negative sentences.
You'll hear it in movies, TV shows, YouTube podcasts everywhere.
Then try using it yourself, maybe something like ah, I
didn't even have time for lunch today, or what happened yesterday?
You didn't even say goodbye last night. You'll sound more
natural and more expressive when you get the hang of
using even in these kinds of sentences. And Hey, if
you want to practice the English from this and all
of my podcasts with me and a group of other
awesome English learners, come check out my podcast Learners Stuff group.
We meet once a week and go over the language
from these podcasts lessons together, it's a great way to
build confidence and improve your speaking. Just click the link
where you are listening to this podcast right now, or
visit Myhappy English dot com and choose podcast episode eight
ninety four for more info. Hey, thanks for listening, and remember,
learning another language is not easy, but it's not impossible,
and I'm here to help you on your journey.
Speaker 2: This podcast is brought to you by Happy English. Please
visit Myhappy English dot com show your support for Happy
English by leading us a review. Get English, Get Happy,
Happy English.