You can use 'ever' in positive statements as an emphasis. The sentences would work without it but it makes it clear that you mean in your whole life. They're the best shoes I've ever had. - ever = in my whole life They're the best shoes I've had in my life. They're the best shoes I've had. - This could mean in my life, or it could mean for some other period (since I was a child, for example). 'Ever' is generally used in superlative statements or statements where your talking about singular things. Paris is the most beautiful city I've ever visited. It's the best book I've ever read. It's the only Turkish film I've ever seen. He's one of the funniest people I've ever met. In different structures it can change its meaning, though: Do you ever go to that cafe? What do you think 'ever' means now?

"Ever" only adds emphasis. If you strike it out, the meaning does not change. For example, These two sentence have the same meaning: "Lindsay is the best friend I have ever had" "Lindsay is the best friend I have had" "Never" means "not ever", but since "ever" only adds emphasis. "Never" really means the same as "not", but gives emphasis and places the attention on time. These mean the same: "I have never been to London" "I have not been to London" "I have never done it before" "I have not done it before" "I have never visited Paris" "I have not visited Paris"

If you’re saying “at no time in my life”, you need ever in the next clause as NO is negative and you don’t want TWO negatives together. At no time in my life have I ever been to Paris. But, I have NEVER been to Paris.

Hi Lucy. You can use ever with the verb ‘to have’, as it shows in your exercises. The best friend I ever had. Etc. However, it doesn’t sound right with other verbs, unless it’s a question. Have you ever been to Paris? Yes, I have been to Paris. It’s fine to add ‘ever’ in the question here, but it’s not needed for the answer, as you’ve either been to Paris or you haven’t. You could add extra detail here to your answer by saying things like ‘once’, ‘a long time ago’, ‘recently’ etc. Have you ever been to Paris? (The question means did you visit Paris at any time of your life). Yes, I have been to Paris, but only once and a long time ago as a child.

I think the others have covered it pretty well. EVER for positive, NEVER for negative. I'll just cover one or two 'strange' cases in case you ever encounter them. "Have you ever been to London?" = Normal "Have you never been to London?" = Same question, but implies surprise that you have never been to London, as if circumstances lead them to believe you had been to London. There is an even stranger construction you may see sometimes. "She is the best girlfriend I never had". For most circumstances, this would be incorrect. But this describes a situation such as: there was a really nice, beautiful, good, etc. girl that probably would have been a good girlfriend, but for some reason, the relationship never happened. It's kind of a joke/negative conditional sort of thing.