E
X-ever
The website heading emphasises the decline of the hyphen in English usage.
You read everyday that something is the best, worst, first or last-ever of its kind. Seldom is the need for the "ever" justified.
The TV news [in the prompter] or newspaper on any day of the week will utter:
Mr Ewan Jones of Pontypool was digging in his garden yesterday and, three metre's deep, came across the last ever brontosauraus.
The next day the utterance is:
Mrs Aileen Smith of Grimsby has contacted us to say that she had already found one so Mr Jone's creature is the second to last ever brontosaurus.
The hyphenation will be dealt with later. Mr Jones's and the metre's apostrophes are to be dealt with under the heading "Achille's heel". Use of metre will appear under M.
More often than not [see N], "marketing language" [to be placed under M] is to blame. Open your TV programme page for any day to see "The Best Ever X Show".