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My colleagues often use "even" as in "Even I was thinking about that" instead of "I also was thinking about that". This usage seems to be widespread in India. Is it accepted elsewhere?

tchrist
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nikita
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  • I've certainly heard it from non-IC1's in our Church, and it could sound a little dismissive to IC1 ears. 'John passed, Jill, Sue ... Ezekiel even.' intended to mean 'John passed, Jill, Sue ... and not forgetting Ezekiel.' or 'John passed, Jill, Sue ... and Ezekiel too.' or even 'John passed, Jill, Sue ... and of course Ezekiel.' But the default meaning remains 'John passed, Jill, Sue ... Ezekiel even managed to pass.' – Edwin Ashworth May 28 '21 at 11:54
  • I hear even in this context as an addition of a seemingly low-bar example. Even I (someone who is not an expert) was thinking about that. Or "We were even considering starting over." – L. Scott Johnson May 28 '21 at 13:45
  • normative is not a word I use in English. In spoken English, in response to someone, people use it. Even I know that. – Lambie May 28 '21 at 14:36
  • I've deleted my answer. – Old Brixtonian May 28 '21 at 16:11
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    Nikita, if you could pull in some actual citations containing examples that we could look at, it would help us understand better. – tchrist May 29 '21 at 00:45

1 Answers1

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It's in the definition, number 1a for adverb, and yes it is common:

1a—used as an intensive to stress an extreme or highly unlikely condition or instance

// so simple even a child can do it

MW

jimm101
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    It does not mean exactly "also" though -- "also" merely means another -- "even" implies that the additional is unusual in some way. – Mary May 28 '21 at 23:39