THE ART OF SPEAKING AMERICAN ENGLISH (11 page)

even if/even then;
even when;
even though/even so

I.
even if

1. Comes at the beginning of a sentence and a comma “is not” placed after it.

2. Is used to say that a person’s thinking or situation will remain unchanged regardless of what might be stated or what circumstances may arise (in this case, the focus is on something that
could possibility
happen).

3.
Carries the same meaning as
‘even then’
.

4. Is used in the past, present and future tenses.

Even if
you go to New York to work with Professor Crane, you won’t have the kind of success you crave
. (PI unfairly said, angry that he was losing his best scientist.)

II.
even then

1. Comes at the beginning of a sentence and a comma “is” always placed after it.

2. Is used to say a person’s thinking or situation will remain unchanged regardless of what might be stated or what circumstances may arise (in this case, the focus is on something that
could possibility
happen).

3.
Carries the same meaning as
‘even if
’
.

4. Is used in the past, present and future tenses.

I know that you might be going to New York to work with Professor Crane.
Even then
, you won’t have the kind of success you crave
.

III.
even when

1. Comes at the beginning of a sentence and a comma “is not” placed after it.

2. Is used to say that a person’s thinking or situation will remain unchanged
no matter the time
, regardless of what might be stated or what circumstances may arise (in this case, the focus is on the
time
at which something
is going to
happen).

3. Is used in the past, present and future tenses.

Even when
you go to New York to work with Professor Crane, you won’t have the kind of success you crave
.

IV.
even though

1. Comes at the beginning of a sentence and a comma “is not” placed after it.

2. Is used to say that a person’s thinking or situation will remain unchanged regardless of what might be stated or what circumstances may arise (in this case, the focus is on something that is
inevitably
going to
happen]

3.
Carries the same meaning as
‘even so’
.

4. Is used in the past, present and future tenses.

Even though
you are going to New York to work with Professor Crane, you won’t have the kind of success you crave
.

V.
even so

1. Comes at the beginning of a sentence, and a comma “is” always placed after it.

2. is used to say a person’s thinking or situation will remain un- changed regardless of what might be stated or what circumstances may arise (in this case, the focus is on something that is
inevitably
going to
happen]

3.
Carries the same meaning as
‘even though’
.

4. Is used in the past, present and future tenses.

I know that you are going to New York to work with Professor Crane.
Even so
, you won’t have the kind of success you crave
.

*Important note:
With the exception of
even if
(I), (II - V) in the past tense can be used to express essentially the same idea, as in the following case.

2. Alexander the Great had conquered most of the known Western world.
‘
Even then
’
, he was still unsatisfied with his accomplishments.

3.
‘Even when’
Alexander the Great had conquered most of the known Western world, he was still unsatisfied with his accomplishments.

4. Alexander the Great had conquered most of the known Western world. ‘
Even so’
, he was still unsatisfied with his accomplishments.

5.
‘Even though’
Alexander the Great had conquered most of the known Western world, he was still unsatisfied with his accomplishments.

This concludes The Art of Speaking American English. You can visit me at
https://www.facebook.com/CostaVerdeRoom3136
.

I wish you all the best in your endeavor to master conversational English.

Yours truly,

Stephen Allen Stratton

Stephen Allen Strallon