The use of ever after rarely and seldom is a classic redundancy that nevertheless appears to have a secure place in the language. She rarely ever watches television adds nothing to She rarely watches television. In an earlier survey, a large majority of the Usage Panel found this construction unacceptable in formal writing. Nonetheless, ever has been used as an intensive with rarely for several hundred years, and the construction is common in informal contexts. By contrast, the constructions rarely (or seldom) if ever and rarely (or seldom) or never are perfectly acceptable: She rarely if ever watches television. She rarely or never watches television.
