Hi guys! Dan for BBC Learning English here with this week's Learner Question. Find out
what it is after this.
OK! This week's Learner Question comes from Viji from India, who writes: yet is similar
in meaning to but. But, people also say not yet. This is confusing. For example, did you
receive the book? Not yet. Please explain. Ok Viji. It’s no problem at all.
So, yet can be used as an adverb as well as a co-ordinating conjunction.
Yet is similar in meaning to but. But is a co-ordinating conjunction when used to talk
about contrasting statements. For example, they can speak Arabic, but they can’t read
or write it.
We use yet as the preferred alternative to but when we want to emphasise the contrast
to achieve a stronger effect. For example, they can speak Arabic, yet they can’t read
or write it.
We sometimes put and in front of yet when it’s used in this way. For example, they
can speak Arabic, and yet they can’t read or write it.
However and nevertheless are also sometimes used as more formal alternatives to yet. For
example, he had no chance of winning the race. However, he kept going as fast as he could.
Or, she had not slept for three nights. Nevertheless, she insisted on going to work the next day.
Yet can also be used as an adverb to talk about something over a period of time up to
now - often with a sense of expectation. For example, is lunch ready yet?
Yet is often used with a negative form when we say that something hasn’t happened up
to a point in the present. It’s most commonly used with the present perfect tense, although
in American English they tend to use it with the past simple tense.
Still can sometimes be used as an alternative to yet, and it’s more emphatic. When we
use still, we are surprised that something hasn’t happened. Compare the following:
I haven’t been to Wales or Scotland yet, though I’ve visited England many times.
Or, I still haven’t been to Wales or Scotland, but I’ve visited England many times.
I hope that answers your question Viji. Thank you very much for writing to us. If anybody
else out there has a question for Learners’ Questions, you can email us on: learning.english@bbc.co.uk.
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That’s it for this week’s Learners’ Questions. I’ll see you next time. Bye!