Even shows surprising extremes. It is a word used for adding special emphasis to what is being said.

It is cold there, even in summer. (So you can be sure that it will be very cold there in winter.)

Even a child can solve this puzzle. (So you can be sure that it is a very simple one.)

He was rude even to the police inspector. (So you can sure that he would be rude to just about everybody.)

She never even wrote me a letter.

Even the teacher could not solve the problem. (It must have been a very difficult one.)

Even can also mean still, yet.

You know even less than I do about it. (= I know only a little about it. You know even less.)

Notes

The word even should be written in front of and next to the word it modifies. Read the following sentences and notice how the meaning changes with a change in the position of even.

He eats even raw potatoes. (= He eats just about anything including raw potatoes.)

He even eats raw potatoes. (= He does a lot of things with raw potatoes. He also eats them.)

Even he eats raw potatoes. (= He eats raw potatoes, so others should have no reason not to eat them because if it is good for him, then it has got to be good for others too.)

Note that even is an adverb. It cannot be used as a conjunction. However, we can use even if and even though as conjunctions. Both expressions have the same meaning.

I will do it even if you forbid me to.

Even so means ‘in spite of that’.

The book is expensive, but even so you ought to buy it.