も (2)

Particle (Basic ㊦ 250)

A marker which indicates emphasis.

Equivalent: Even; as many/much/long/...as; (not) even (one); (not) any

グレーさんはこんな難しい漢字も読める・読めます。/ハリスさんはこんな易しい漢字も読めない・読めません。: Mr. Gray can read even difficult kanji like this. / Mr. Harris cannot read even easy kanji like this.
私は漢字を八千も知っている・います。: I know as many as eight thousand kanji.
私は漢字を一つも知らない・知りません。: I don't know even one kanji.
私は何も食べなかった・食べませんでした。: I didn't eat anything.
ナンシーは私の話を聞きもしない・しません。: Nancy doesn't even listen to me.
春男は一年生の足し算もまともに出来ない。: Haruo cannot do even the first-year addition correctly.
今日は車が十台も売れた。: As many as ten cars sold today.
そのパーティーには女の子は一人も来なかった。: Not even one girl came to the party.
誰もそのことを知りません。: Nobody knows about it.
私は木村さんが呉れた本をまだ見もしていない。: I haven't even seen the book Mr. Kimura gave me yet.

Formation

(i) Quantifier	も
	五十も	As many as fifty
	百人も	As many as a hundred people
(ii) One Counter	も
	一人も	(not) even one person
	一つも	(not) even one ~
(iii) WH-word	も
	何も	(not) anything
	誰も	(not) anybody
(iv) Vます	もしない
	話しもしない	Don’t even talk
	食べもしない	Don’t even eat

Notes

1. も as an emphatic marker is an extended use of も1. (⇨ も1) The following examples show the transition of meaning from the original idea 'also' to the emphatic use 'even'

a. グレーさんは非常に難しい漢字も読める。
Literally: Mr. Gray can read very difficult kanji, too. (= Mr. Gray can read even very difficult kanji.)

b. ハリスさんは非常にやさしい漢字も読めない。
Literally: Mr. Harris cannot read very easy kanji, either. (= Mr. Harris cannot read even very easy kanji.)

2. 何も and 誰も are used only in negative sentences. Other Interrogative words with も can be used in both affirmative sentences and negative sentences.

いつも always; anytime

どこも everywhere; anywhere

どちらも both; neither of the two ~

どうも somehow

Note the following examples:

a. 大木君はいつも人に親切だ。
Mr. Oki is always kind to people.

b. 小山はいつも約束を守らない。
Koyama never keeps his promise.

3. Verbますも is always followed by a negative form of する 'do' as in Key Sentence (E) and Example (e).