What part of speech is "even" in these two sentences?
"When my friend arrived at the restaurant to pick up her wallet she was pleasantly surprised that everything was still in it, even her money. "
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"Still, even her critics pay tribute to her high intelligence and astonishing work rate. "
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If I regard "even" as an adverb, then how can it modify a noun or pronoun?
If I regard "even" as an adjective, I can't find a matching definition in the dictionary.
https://www.lexico.com/definition/even
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Answers · 6
2
adverb
...even her money.
= even her money [was still in her wallet]
= surprisingly her money [was still in her wallet]
= her money [was still in her wallet] surprisingly
... even her critics pay tribute
= suprisingly her critics pay tribute
= her critics pay tribute surprisingly
https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/definition/english/even_1?q=even
even adverb
used to emphasize something unexpected or surprising
She didn't even call to say she wasn't coming.
He never even opened the letter (= so he certainly didn't read it).
It wouldn't have been possible 30 years ago, maybe even 20.
It was cold there even in summer (= so it must have been very cold in winter).
Even a child can understand it (= so adults certainly can).
0
Adverbs don’t modify pronouns or nouns.
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Hi Neil. Which dictionary defines that an adverb can modify a pronoun or noun?
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In the examples you provide, "even" is an adverb, modifying the pronoun "her." Similarly, "even" can modify a noun, e.g., "Even a child can do that", "Everyone came to the event, even the mayor."
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