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Andrea
Community Tutor
Sentence order
Hi,
I'm reading a novel by a contemporary Irish author, and I found written:
"You look good, I said. You look better than last time I saw you even"
Now this "even" at the end baffles me: shouldn't it have been "You look even better than last time I saw you"?
does this construnction with "even" at the end sounds natural to you?
thank you
Aug 14, 2019 3:33 PM
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Answers · 7
No, I don't think it should: the speaker doesn't mean 'even better'. The word 'even' seems to be modifying the whole statement. I'd imagine a comma before 'even' and interpret the whole statement as meaning either "You even look better than (the) last time I saw you" or "I'd even go as far as to say that you look better than (the) last time I saw you".
August 14, 2019
I agree with Milo. It sounds natural as a piece of dialogue. It would be incorrect if it were a piece of formal writing, but it's acceptable as dialogue. To answer your question, it is an informal use of language. =)
August 14, 2019
Thank you, Milo.
August 14, 2019
Yes, it sounds natural as a piece of dialogue, because the 'even' is tacked on as an afterthought by the speaker. If it were a piece of formal writing, it would be incorrect, but since the author is (presumably) trying to replicate informal speech patterns, it makes perfect sense.
August 14, 2019
