mostly ever

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "mostly ever" is not correct and not usable in written English.
It seems to be a combination of "mostly" and "ever," which do not typically work together in standard English usage. Example: "I mostly ever go to the gym on weekends" would be incorrect.

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

3 human-written examples

This was bullshit, but all Americans have mostly ever been about is implication anyway.

Vice

I asked Wroten about her life and what she was reading, since we've mostly ever just spoken about illustration.

Vice

Subjects were male with a mean age of 75.0 years (SD = 6.7 years), were mostly ever cigarette smokers (69.5%), and were mostly overweight with a mean BMI of 28.1 kg/m (SD = 4.2 kg/m).

Environmental Health: A Global Access Science Source

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

He blames the army, mostly, for ever more desperate decisions to preserve its dominance.

The Economist

A new development called "One Kill" is now available, although, naturally, it carries a higher risk and is mostly only ever used in cases of severe commercial infestation.

Independent

Like other violent crimes, homicide peaked in the early 1990's and has been mostly dropping ever since: in 1991 it hit 24,700; last year it totaled about 16,000.

The New York Times

The Mexican government claims that the violence mostly reflects ever more savage turf wars between drug gangs – a sign, it says, that the offensive against the cartels is having an effect.

Independent

Aleppo was divided almost immediately into government- and rebel-controlled areas, along lines that have remained mostly static ever since: a stalemate unmoved by repeated and often ruthless attempts to dislodge the other side.

The Guardian

Brian Cashman makes phone calls the way a fly fisherman casts his line, over and over, mostly without ever feeling a pull at the other end, occasionally sensing a tug, and maybe, once or twice a summer, landing a whopper.

The New York Times - Sports

There were these guys: And there was also this: Oh, also the Flames have won a few games recently, and now sit 12th in the West, one spot ahead of L.A., who have of course been mostly bad ever since my endorsement of them in the season preview.

The Guardian - Sport

Oh, poor HTC Merge; you first sneaked your way into the spotlight so many months ago, and yet, you've gone mostly unseen ever since.

TechCrunch

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Avoid using the phrase "mostly ever" in formal writing. Opt for clearer and more grammatically sound alternatives such as "almost always" or "usually".

Common error

Be cautious about combining adverbs of frequency that might create ambiguity. "Mostly" and "ever" don't typically work well together. Choose the adverb that best represents the intended frequency.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "mostly ever" functions as an adverbial modifier, attempting to describe the frequency of an action or state. However, according to Ludwig AI, this combination is not grammatically correct.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

66%

Science

34%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "mostly ever" is considered grammatically incorrect and is rarely used. While its intended meaning is to convey high frequency, alternatives like "almost always" or "usually" are preferred. Ludwig AI indicates that this combination of words is not standard English. Although it appears in some contexts such as News & Media, it is best to avoid it in formal writing for clarity and grammatical correctness.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

almost always

Indicates a very high frequency, nearing but not quite reaching 100%.

usually

Suggests something happens the majority of the time.

most of the time

Similar to 'usually', focusing on the proportion of occasions.

typically

Describes what is normal or expected in a given situation.

generally

Similar to 'typically' but can also refer to a wider range of situations.

frequently

Highlights the high number of occurrences.

on most occasions

Emphasizes the frequency across different instances.

in general

Implies a broad overview rather than specific instances.

more often than not

Suggests that something is likely to happen but not guaranteed.

almost never

Expresses near absence of an event or action.

FAQs

Is "mostly ever" grammatically correct?

No, the phrase "mostly ever" is generally considered grammatically incorrect in standard English. It's better to use alternatives like "almost always" or "usually".

What does "mostly ever" mean?

While not standard, "mostly ever" seems to be used to convey that something happens frequently or almost always. However, it's not a recognized idiom and can be confusing.

Which is correct, "mostly ever" or "almost always"?

"Almost always" is the correct and preferred phrase. "Mostly ever" is not considered grammatically correct.

What are some alternatives to "mostly ever"?

Better alternatives include "usually", "typically", or "almost always", depending on the nuance you want to convey.