barely ever

[emre aydın]

Is there a problem with using "barely" and "ever" together?

For example, can a man who usually eats at home lately say "I barely ever dine out these days" ?

Thank you for your help.

 

[PaulQ]

Is there a problem with using "barely" and "ever" together?

Have you experienced a situation where there was a problem with this? If so, what was the context?

 

[emre aydın]

from Merriam-Webster dictionary:

"hardly/scarcely ever

: almost never: rarely

• She hardly ever sings anymore.
• I scarcely ever think of them now.

rarely/seldom ever

: almost never: rarely

• We seldom ever dine out these days.
• She rarely ever drinks wine.

◊ Some people regard rarely ever and seldom ever as incorrect, but these phrase are common in speech and in informal writing"

The last sentence has made me think that some combinations may not be correct. So I opened this thread.

 

[PaulQ]

◊ Some people regard rarely ever and seldom ever as incorrect, but these phrase are common in speech and in informal writing"

The last sentence has made me think that some combinations may not be correct. So I opened this thread.

Then you have misread the entry.

It says: "Some people regard rarely ever and seldom ever as incorrect," - obviously, this means that "Some people regard rarely ever and seldom ever as correct,".

It now depends on your personal opinion of rarely/ever/seldom ever.

MW also does not say who these people are, nor what their qualifications are, nor does it give any reason. In future when you read such things, I suggest you ignore them and decide for yourself - that is what I do.

 

[emre aydın]

Then you have misread the entry.

It says: "Some people regard rarely ever and seldom ever as incorrect," - obviously, this means that "Some people regard rarely ever and seldom ever as correct,".

It now depends on your personal opinion of rarely/ever/seldom ever.

MW also does not say who these people are, nor what their qualifications are, nor does it give any reason. In future when you read such things, I suggest you ignore them and decide for yourself - that is what I do.

As I'm not a native speaker, confirmations from you(WordReference) are very helpful for me.

So is "barely ever" correct to you?