This week’s question
What do ‘whatsoever’, ‘whatever’ and ‘whichever’ mean? – Maruf in Bangladesh
Answer this
What effect does adding -ever to a question word have?
Language points
Question word + ever
Adding ‘-ever’ to a question word (e.g. who, when, where, how, what, which) generally gives them one of two meanings:
- Any (who, when, where, how, what, which) at all
- It doesn’t matter (who, when, where, how, what, which)
Any at all: whatever
Whatever can mean ‘anything and everything’.
- I can eat whatever I like and I don’t put on weight.
Any at all: whichever
Whichever can mean ‘any of the available options’.
- Whichever team wins, it’s still going to be a great match.
It doesn’t matter: whatever
Whatever can mean ‘it doesn’t matter what’.
- Whatever weather comes, we’re going to the party.
It doesn’t matter: whichever
Whichever can mean ‘it doesn’t matter which’.
- The journey takes an hour whichever way you go.
Short answers
Whatever and whichever are commonly used as short answers.
- A: What do you want for dinner? B: Oh, whatever.
- A: Do you want tea or coffee? B: Whichever is easier for you
Whatever: contempt
Whatever can also be used as a short answer to show contempt or rebellion. This could be a common response from a teenager to their parent!
- Parent: You’re going upstairs right now to clean up your bedroom! Teenager: Whatever!
Whatever: emphasis
Whatever can also e used as a form of emphasis instead of ‘what’ to show surprise, shock or other strong emotions.
- Whatever are you doing!? You’re going to crash the car!
Whatsoever
Whatsoever is most commonly used for emphasis as an adverb at the end of negative sentences. Common collocations are: nothing whatsoever, none whatsoever or no (X) whatsoever.
- I have no doubts whatsoever that she is the best person for the job.
The answer
Adding -ever to a question word has one of two effects: ‘Any (who, when, where, how, what, which) at all’ or
‘It doesn’t matter (who, when, where, how, what, which)’