YET vs. STILL

Hello again everyone and welcome back to the Daily Vitamin.

Yesterday we explained the word STILL. It is used to indicate that something is in the present or is happening now, not in the past. Today we will compare this word with YET.

YET In questions: we use yet to ask if something has happened. The word yet indicates that we expect something to happen in the future. The sentence position of yet is usually at the end of the clause.

Example 1:
Have you typed those letters yet? I'd like to post them today.

Example 2:
Are the children dressed yet? It's time to go to school.

In negative sentences we use yet to indicate that something is expected in the future, not in the past or in the present. The sentence position is also at the end of the clause.

Example 3: I haven't called Mary yet, but I plan to do so as soon as I've finished what I'm doing now.

Compare still and yet in this dialogue and you will see that they can be very similar in meaning:

Example 4:
A: What's Alice doing?
B: She's still making those phone calls.
A: What? Hasn't she finished them yet?
B: No, she still hasn't finished them. It's been a busy morning.

As a way to get some practice and remember how these words are used, I encourage you to write a sentence (or two) with STILL and YET and post your sentences to one of our social media sites (Facebook or Bluesky). We will give you feedback about your writing as soon as we can. 

Enjoy the rest of your day!