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TESOL/Time

When?

Adverbs of Time

Still, yet, and already

Still

Still is used for things that are continuing.

  • She is still studying. (She was studying before and she continues studying now.)
  • In ten years she will still be studying. (She will continue studying and not stop after 10 years.)

still ... not is about the past, as opposed to not ... yet, which is about the future.

  • She still has not found what she is looking for. (She was searching in the past.)
  • We haven't run out of gas yet. (We may run out in the future.)

Yet

Yet is about things that we expect.

  • The soup is not cool yet. (Soon it will be cool and we can eat it.)
  • Has she emailed you yet? (I expect her to send an email soon.)

Already

Already is for things that happened early, often earlier than expected.

  • You have finished your homework already? That was fast!

Quiz1

Use still, yet, and already to finish this story.
I was born in 1975. In 1980, I was only five but I

knew I wanted to be an artist.
I had not entered middle school

so I couldn't study art in school. Instead of painting
in school I painted at home, and by the time I was ten I had

learned how to paint flowers
very well. I continued painting in middle school and high school, and when I went to college I
was

into painting so I decided to major in it. By my second year I had

painted
something for an exhibition. I was very skilled but

not making very much money from painting.
In fact, I had not sold a single painting

, but I

kept trying and in my third year
of university I sold my first painting. It was a painting of a rose. I can

remember how
happy I was after I sold it.

quiz2

1

She ________ studying.

is still
has already
has yet
is not yet

2

In ten years she ________ studying.

will still be
will already be
will not yet be
will yet be

3

She ________ found what she is looking for.

still has not
not yet has
already has
yet has not

4

We ________ run out of gas.

still have not
haven't ... yet
have already
have yet

5

The soup ________ cool.

is still not
is already
is not cool yet
has yet

6

Has she ________ you?

still emailed
already emailed
emailed you yet
not yet emailed

7

You ________ your homework? That was fast!

still have finished
have finished already
have not finished yet
have yet finished


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