Whatever, whoever, wherever

  • B2 · Upper-intermediate
  • Grammar lesson
  • 60 min

whatever, whoever, wherever, whenever and however for "any…" and "it doesn't matter…": Help yourself to whatever you find. However late you get here, you won't need to call me. The student reads a vacation host's welcome note, chooses the -ever word that fits, rewrites sentences with one, fixes the usual mistakes, and plays the host for the teacher.

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whateverwhoeverwhereverhowever

What's in the lesson

  1. 1Warm-up
  2. 2In this lesson
  3. 3Reading: welcome to the Blue DoorReading comprehension
  4. 4What does it mean?Grammar exercise
  5. 5Find the -ever wordsGrammar exercise
  6. 6whatever, whoever, wherever, whenever, howeverGrammar rule
  7. 7Which word?Grammar exercise
  8. 8Say it another wayGrammar exercise
  9. 9Find the mistakeGrammar exercise
  10. 10Say it naturallySpeaking practice
  11. 11Be the hostSpeaking practice
  12. 12About youGrammar exercise
  13. 13Wrap-up

Homework

  1. 1Homework: which is right?Grammar exercise
  2. 2Homework: a note for the house sitterGrammar exercise
  3. 3Homework: build the sentencesGrammar exercise
  4. 4Homework: a welcome noteDiscussion

Two slides from the lesson

Warm-up

A few questions about you before we start.

  1. When you stay with friends or family, do you feel comfortable taking food from their fridge?
  2. What do you usually do first when you arrive somewhere new on vacation?
  3. Do you like having guests stay at your home? Why, or why not?

Grammar rule

whatever, whoever, wherever, whenever, however

-ever = any…, or it doesn't matter…

WordMeaningExample
whateveranything (that); it doesn't matter whatWear whatever is comfortable.
whoeveranyone who; the person who (we don't know who)Whoever left this note didn't sign it.
wherever(in / to) any place; it doesn't matter whereHang your coat wherever there's space.
whenever(at) any time; every timeDrop by whenever you're free. Whenever it rains, the roof leaks.
howeverin any wayDecorate the cake however you want.
however + adjective or adverbit doesn't matter how…However far it is, we'll walk.

When the -ever part comes first, it often means "it doesn't matter…" (= no matter what / who / where / when / how): Whatever happens, stay calm.

Watch out

  • Normal word order after the -ever word, not question order: Eat whatever do you like → Eat whatever you like.
  • The present, not will, for the future: Whenever you will finish, … → Whenever you finish, …
  • whoever for people, whatever for things: Whatever calls, tell them I'm busy → Whoever calls, …
  • however + adjective comes first, then the subject and verb: However you are busy → However busy you are.
  • However, at the start of a sentence with a comma, means "but": It was late. However, nobody wanted to leave. That is a different use.
  • Each one is one word: whatever, wherever (not what ever, where ever).
  • "Whatever." alone, as an answer, means "I don't care", and it can sound rude.

Teach it live with video and a whiteboard, or print it: the PDF has every slide, the homework and the answers.

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← Unit 7I did call!