Guest
Whatever, whichever or whatsoever? What do ’whatsoever’, ’whatever’ and ’whichever’ mean? 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.
