This is an All Ears English podcast episode 2007.
One whimsical word to make your statements more profound in English.
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In today's episode, a listener asks us about the use of ever before an adjective.
Today, find out how to use words like ever-present and learn if you can make up your own use of ever in English conversation.
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Hey, Lindsay, how are you?
Hey there, Michelle.
I'm feeling great.
It's a sunny day in Denver, so all good.
How's the weather in New York City?
Not as warm as I want, you know, but it's okay.
It's okay.
I'm, you know, it's all...
It's all relative.
And if I had this day a few months ago, I would have been thrilled.
Yeah, it's all relative.
Spring is coming to New York.
I love May and springtime, you know, May, June.
Oh, it's just so beautiful.
And October.
I think those are the two best months in New York.
Yes, exactly.
So, Lindsay, how do we go through life in this ever changing world?
That is a deep question, but, you know, I love deep questions.
The world is ever-changing.
I mean, if you think about, for example, my aunt, she's in her mid-70s.
She was born in 1946, right?
So if you think about what her life was like at that time, post-World War II, I mean gosh, what a different world.
Right.
Oh, my gosh.
I know.
And then just things are evolving all the time, all the time, right?
Yeah, all the time. ever evolving world.
I love that question.
Ever evolving.
Yes.
Well, we have a listener question about this today.
Would you read it for us?
Yeah.
So our listener, do we have a name on this one?
We don't have a name.
I don't have a name.
I'm sorry.
That's okay.
So the listener says, hello, I have a question for you.
What does it mean to be ever present?
And can I make up words by myself?
More interesting question, right?
Using ever.
Thanks.
I love this question.
It tells me that this listener is very high level because here she is ready to make up and create words, Michelle.
Yes, that's what I love too.
That's very impressive.
So let's get to it.
Guys, we also have episode 1962, which is worth checking out.
So how to be successful, happy and present in business with executive coach Eric Holzapfel.
Yeah, that was a great conversation we had about.
You get to higher levels of business and you start to think about oh, money doesn't make happiness, right?
There are other things that make happiness.
So guys, check out that episode.
Michelle, what about this question today?
Let's get back to the question.
So sometimes we add the word ever to things.
So Macmillan Dictionary said, Ever adding ever is always or continuously.
OK, so ever, always, continuously, just like the dictionary says.
So ever changing is the first one that I thought of.
Right.
That to me seems very common.
The dictionary also gave a few examples, including ever changing.
Yes.
So what is ever changing mean?
Yeah, so ever-changing basically means always changing, like dynamic.
Something that is dynamic is ever-changing.
This is a good one because we do, I mean, we absolutely use this.
I wouldn't say all the time, but it's a good resource, lexical resource to be able to use this.
It means something is always changing.
For example, the dynamic at the office was ever-changing.
It was hard to know how everyone felt.
So, I mean, why...
Why do you think somebody would choose to say ever-changing instead of always changing?
That's interesting.
That's a great question, Michelle.
That is the key question for today, right?
It's a good question.
I think that ever-changing sounds a little more profound.
Yeah, I agree.
I think it just sounds, yeah, that's perfect.
Yeah, all right.
Goodbye, guys.
It sounds, I agree.
I think it sounds more profound.
It just sounds a little bit deeper, you know, rather than just saying, oh, it was always changing.
So you can use either.
I think always would be more common, right?
Like I think ever changing is less common than just adding always or all the time.
Yeah.
If I say, you know, the office environment, our company culture is always changing.
It's much more mundane, right?
It's much more just plain Jane every day, you know, commentary.
But ever-changing office dynamics is more of a statement, right?
It says more.
It's more profound.
It's more important what you're saying.
The conversation is more important.
Sounds a little more poetic, I guess.
Yeah.
I agree.
Another one that Macmillan did use as an example, which it just came as such a good one.
Uh, it's ever popular.
I feel like we hear that one a lot as well.
Um, so ever popular would just mean popular for a while or, you know, as the dictionary said continuously.
So i might, you might hear, allow me to introduce the ever popular, extremely talented pink.
Right, We've talked about pink on this show before, I think.
Haven't we, Michelle?
Yeah.
You like her too, right?
I like her.
Who doesn't?
And that's why she's ever popular.
For years, since the mid-2000s, she's been coming out with hits.
Yes.
And I don't know.
I'm on a bit of a pink kick lately.
I just love her.
Like the old stuff?
No.
Also, have you heard she has some new songs too?
No, I haven't.
I don't follow her, but I know that I just like her.
And yeah, it makes sense.
I like her style.
I like her like attitude.
I just think she's very strong.
She's been popular for so long.
And yes, she's just like, it's all just based on her talent.
Like, she's her voice is incredible.
Anyway, I could go on.
I really want to try and see her in concert.
I think she's going to be coming, coming around on a big tour.
So I had to use him.
Will Dan go with you to that one?
Or is he not into it?
Yeah, he likes her.
He likes her too.
Cool, cool, cool.
Love that.
So we'll see.
Yeah.
Let us know if you go and we'll do a recap of the concert, Michelle.
I will.
I like the example that you picked because it points to what we said before.
It's more profound.
This is an example of you introducing pink on stage.
Like, maybe you're the warm-up band or you're just introducing her right, as a singer.
Allow me to introduce the ever popular, extremely talented pink.
Yes right, so it's more profound.
You're on stage.
If you just say the popular, extremely talented, it's kind of mundane, it's not big enough.
Right, this is adding something.
It's a little bit more dramatic.
Um like, maybe maybe it's an awards show.
She just won some big awards.
So like yeah, maybe they're introducing her uh, for a speech or to sing or something like that.
Um, but you wouldn't say like the but i mean, because you wouldn't say the always popular here, it wouldn't work.
No, you don't really have, you don't have any other choices.
You could say like, i mean, what are you gonna say?
The, The pink who has been popular for a long time?
Like I wanted more.
Yeah, you really can't.
I'm thinking like the.
Yeah, there really isn't much else you could say, Michelle.
So we do actually need this ever to go before the adjective in a lot of cases.
Yeah.
And then let's do ever present, which is that's what the listener question included.
So what what is ever present?
Yeah, kind of means perpetual, right?
So being in a state or a place all the time.
So there was an ever-present feeling that the company could go under at any moment, right?
So that's kind of a stressful feeling for employees, right?
It's always there.
They're always thinking about it.
It's a constant possibility.
Right, right.
So Lindsay, the listener asked, is it possible to make upwards?
So this is the next step.
This listener has heard examples with ever and is wondering about making up words.
Yeah yeah, what do you think?
Well, we totally endorse this right, i mean, i think that the term that we made up on our episode about your backyard stalkery has become like a legend because people are talking about that word really.
I think aubrey and valerie friedland mentioned the word in the interview they did uh, last month, and so This is fun and absolutely you can.
You just have to understand what it does to what you're saying.
Right, exactly, exactly.
So, I mean, the dictionary mentioned that it's often used with adjectives or ing verbs.
So, but I don't think that you could just add it to anything.
No, yeah, yeah, I agree.
But the thing is, it never hurts to experiment.
So if you're not sure if it can be used, say it.
I mean, you could say it in a conversation.
If somebody says that they didn't know what that means or something like, there's nothing wrong with taking that risk and just adding it.
And also then let's say you use it and it goes over well.
Great.
Let's say you use it and somebody doesn't know what you mean.
Either way, write it down and then look it up and see if it is used.
But it doesn't hurt to try.
So Lindsay, I thought we could try out a few and see if we think that it makes sense or if you would use this.
Sure.
And that's really in line with our philosophy of connection, not perfection, guys.
We are experimentalists when it comes to language.
The way to know if something is OK to say is to use it and see what kind of feedback you get in the world.
We're not learning languages in a vacuum here.
That's not the point of a language.
The point of a language is the human connection.
So we totally endorse a little experimentation.
Exactly.
Yes, exactly.
So.
All right.
So the first one I thought of was ever hopeful language.
What do you think?
Would you use ever hopeful?
I totally would.
Yeah.
I think that works.
For example, her ever hopeful attitude sometimes made her a target for getting disappointed.
Okay.
Yeah.
I think that's a great... Because what else would you say?
Her hopeful attitude, but you're trying to convey that it's always that way.
Consistently hopeful attitude.
Yeah.
I mean, you could, but yeah, this just sounds... I don't know.
I guess you... Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Sorry.
Go ahead, Michelle.
No.
Yeah.
I think just adding ever.
Yeah.
Consistently hopeful or constantly hopeful.
There's something profound, like you said, about adding ever.
It just it makes me picture this girl is like, oh, like always so eager and hopeful.
And it just puts a certain picture in my head.
That's almost different than if I just said her always hopeful or her consistently hopeful.
Yeah.
It just seems different to me.
Well, the only other one that I could think of that could replace it would be something like her undyingly hopeful attitude.
But that seems too dramatic.
That's a little much.
Right.
Exactly.
But so what's interesting.
So let's go to the next one.
So ever angry now.
Yeah.
Ever angry.
Does that I because I was trying to think of different, you know, adjectives or.
Yeah, I tried to just put this in front of like oh, his ever angry attitude or his ever angry mannerisms.
Like, it just doesn't seem to work.
Right.
Because are we saying here, just to be clear with our listeners?
And I think the dictionary said this it's usually placed before an adjective.
Is that right?
Yes.
And ing verbs.
Okay.
Adjective and ing verb, where that verb is kind of acting as sort of an adjective, right?
Yeah.
Describing...
Yes.
The person what they're doing a lot.
Right.
So but ever angry.
I mean, it just doesn't work.
It just doesn't work.
And that's OK.
Too many vowels, maybe.
I don't know.
I don't know.
So this is interesting.
I mean, I never thought about it on this level.
I'm sure somebody could say it like, oh, is that ever angry?
You know, like kind of as a joke, but.
I just don't think it works in the same way.
And I mean, I'll be honest, I'm not quite sure why.
Yeah, I don't think anyone's going to say that was grammatically incorrect, right?
No, I don't think that's not what this is about today, right?
Because we're just talking about a way to enhance a word and change its meaning a little bit.
Meaning changing the word angry, making it more permanent.
But yeah, it's not a use that we hear a lot, right?
So that's fine.
What about the next one?
Do you think this works?
Ever stubborn.
He was ever stubborn.
So it was hard to talk with him about change.
He was ever stubborn.
What do you think?
Again, I think you sort of have a choice here as the speaker.
You can throw that in there.
Yeah.
He was ever stubborn.
I think it's okay.
You know?
Yeah, I think this one sounds better.
Ever angry to me.
That was the one I thought of.
That was super.
Like I can't.
This sounds weird to me.
Maybe you just don't want to be around that person.
Maybe not.
Ever stubborn.
I think that's, to me, that sounds okay.
Yeah, I think it sounds OK.
And then ever laughing.
OK, how about this one, Michelle?
They were ever laughing, which made them a blast to be around.
Much better than the ever angry person.
Right.
Yes, much better.
This one also sounds to me a little funny because I would just say they were always laughing.
Yeah, they were always laughing.
Yeah because again, we don't necessarily need that level of profound emotion or what you're trying to say.
So maybe we just keep that a little bit more basic and say they were always laughing.
It was great.
Right.
It's a little bit more just like loose relaxed, you know whereas, like ever, hopeful has this like whimsical feeling.
And yeah, yeah, exactly.
It has a whimsical is a great way to describe it.
What about ever working?
So here we are putting it in front of a verb.
Right.
But the verb is kind of when you put ever in front of it, it's now describing the person.
Right.
Right.
She was ever working.
So she didn't see her friends much.
Again, here I would just say she's always working.
She was always working.
Yeah.
Yeah.
She was always working.
I think when you say always working kind of goes more to the activity.
But when you say she was working goes to the personality, it goes more to the person.
Describing that person as being one with her work, kind of.
You know what I mean?
Yeah, I think that's a good way to explain it.
Yeah, that makes sense.
Yeah yeah, but these are ones that we don't necessarily hear that much.
I wouldn't say any of them, like you absolutely can, and it's grammatically incorrect and you'll be, you know, laughed out of the wherever you are.
We just want you to go for the ones guys, where you want a more whimsical feeling, a more profound statement.
Don't use this all the time, obviously.
Right, Michelle?
Right.
Okay, Michelle, what's next?
This is very interesting.
Right.
So yeah, exactly.
Like we said, you don't want to use this all the time.
You don't want to just throw it around constantly because it can sound a little awkward.
So we taught you some of the basic ones.
And think it also sounds a little formal um, like we said, whimsical that's the word of the day um and uh, but it's a good thing to throw in from time to time.
Um, but yeah, i think in general, we use always or constantly things like that um yeah yeah but, but we have a little role play to try some of these out.
Um right, some of the ones especially.
Yeah, and it's interesting because i, i really agreed with some of the things that the Commonly used ones, because it's not, I wouldn't, when we talk about making up words, I wouldn't say that this is one that's like oh, that's like a huge one to be like, I want to add ever to a lot of things.
I want to put this at the top of the list.
Yeah, you want to be a little bit more careful here.
And so try to see what's in common in this role play, what these words have in common, guys.
Right.
Here we go.
So we are discussing the meaning of life.
What a topic for being whimsical and profound.
Yes.
Why are we here, Michelle?
Who knows, Lindsay?
Life is ever present.
Yes.
It is also ever changing.
Yes.
We must constantly adapt.
Our conversations are ever thought provoking.
Yes.
We didn't say much there.
What did we actually say?
We don't know.
All right.
So here we're talking about something deep, meaning of life.
You said, who knows?
Life is ever present, right?
Always, always going on, right?
Always going on, yeah.
And you said it's ever changing, but it's also constantly changing.
Constantly changing.
And then I said our conversations are ever thought provoking.
Interesting.
That one I've never heard either.
But again, we're going deeper and we're being a little bit creative.
So we're adding ever there.
Right.
And guys, you would never have a conversation like adding ever, ever, ever.
But I wanted to give a few different examples.
Ever thought provoking.
I tried to make one up.
I think, you know, it's possible.
It's possible.
But in here, I would have just said, our conversations are really thought provoking, or always thought provoking.
Yes.
And if you want to be really safe guys, if you want to play it on the safe side, ever-changing and ever-present are the most common ones that I hear with ever right.
Those are sure things.
Can't go wrong.
Ever-changing, ever-present, right?
And ever-popular.
Like I said, I agree with the dictionary on this.
We agreed with all of these.
Michelle and the dictionary.
So guys, for a takeaway today, just be conservative about How often and when you add this in.
Right, Michelle, would you say that?
Yes, I agree.
Like there are there are certain words that you can make up where it's a pretty safe, safe bet.
And then there are ones where it could sound a little awkward.
But the point is, if you want to try, try.
Yes.
Go for it.
Yeah.
The point is in the end, again, you get your feedback from the world.
You try things.
That's how we learn.
That's how we get better.
Let's not just rehearse what we see in the dictionary, right?
Let's like go out in the world, take different things, use them and connect.
Love it.
Love it.
All right, Lindsay, this was fun.
And thank you to the listener for that question.
And this was an ever thought provoking conversation.
It was Michelle.
Sounds good.
I'll talk to you very soon.
Have a good one.
All right.
Bye.
Bye.
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