Speaker 1: Hey, have you finished yet? Wait? Are you still listening? Good?
Have you already studied English today? Well, I'm not gonna
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Speaker 2: Welcome to another Happy English podcast, coming to you from
New York City. And here's your English teacher, Michael.
Speaker 1: All right, thank you John, and thanks everyone. It's Michael
here from Happy English and I help people speak English better.
And this is Happy English Podcast, Episode nine thirty one.
Questions and Negatives with still yet, already and anymore. Hey,
thanks for joining me today. If you've ever wondered what's
the difference between have you eaten yet? And are you
still eating? Or if you're not sure when to use anymore,
this episode is for you. These four words still, yet,
already and anymore seems simple, but when it comes to
questions and negative sentences, things can get a little tricky.
So today we'll take a deep dive into how they
work with plenty of real, everyday examples. Let's start with
the word still. Now, we use still when something continues
longer than we expected. It's often used in both positive
and question sentences. Here's how it works. Let's say it's
eleven thirty at night and Jack is working at his desk,
You could say, are you still working? Yeah, you're surprised
he's working at that hour, so you use still. Or
maybe you plan to go to the movies together, but
your friend is waiting for someone to finish getting ready.
She could say he's still in the shower. We're gonna
be late. So still shows us that the action is continuing,
and often we feel a little surprised or even frustrated
by it. You can also use still in negative sentences,
like I still haven't finished my homework. That means it's
not finished and it's taking longer than expected. Or he
still hasn't called me back. Ugh, maybe he's avoiding me.
So again, we can use still to show our surprise
or even frustration that something continues longer than we had
expected or hoped. Next, let's look at yet. We usually
use yet in questions and negative sentences, especially with the
present perfect tense. Yet is used when we expect something
to happen, but it hasn't happened, at least not so far.
A lot of times when we use yet, like still,
it can show a nuance of frustration or even disappointment.
Let's say you're waiting for your food delivery to arrive.
You could ask, hasn't the pizza come yet? And you
could reply to that with no, it hasn't come yet.
Notice how yet goes at the end of the sentence.
That's what usually happens. And keep in mind that in
American English, it's perfectly acceptable to use yet with the
simple past tense, like it isn't winter yet, but it's
so cold outside, or didn't you make a decision yet? Yeah,
your grammar teacher might not like those last two exams,
but hey, that's how we talk in the real world. Now,
how about already? This one is used when something has happened,
and maybe it happened earlier than expected. Let's say you
walk into the office in the morning and you see
your coworker typing away on the keyboard. You can ask, hey,
did you already start working? Maybe you're so surprised because
it's early, or wow, you're already done with lunch. Again,
this means the action happens sooner than we thought. And
by the way, those are some other examples of using
this vocabulary with a simple present and past tense. Yeah,
that's conversational American English. Of course, the grammar books teach
you to use already with the present perfect, like she's
already gone home, or I have already seen that movie,
and just be careful about one thing. We usually don't
use already in negative sentences. Instead of I haven't already
seen it, we say I haven't seen it yet, got
it so still means something is continuing, Already means something happened,
and yet means something hasn't happened, but we think it
should last up for today. Is anymore anymore is only
used in negative sentences, At least in American English. Anymore
has the meaning of it's over. Finally. Let's say you
used to go to some fancy gym every day, but
not now. You can say I don't go to that
gym anymore, or she doesn't work here anymore, or now
that I quit my job, I don't have to deal
with that stupid boss anymore. The nuance is like, oh,
thank goodness, that nightmare is over. We can also use
anymore with the future tense to talk about something that's
totally over, like after that horrible experience, I'm not going
back to that restaurant anymore. Or if you're angry with someone,
you can say huh huh. I'm not talking to her anymore.
So the nuance is the situation wasn't good, so I
won't do that again. That's how we use anymore. Okay,
let's do a quick recap before we wrap up. Still
means something is continuing and we're a bit surprised. Are
you still working yet? Means something hasn't happened, but we
expect it, and we're a little frustrated. Hasn't Jack arrived
yet already means something happened and we're a bit surprised,
you're already finished with your homework? And anymore means something
used to happen, but it doesn't happen now because I'm
done with it. Yeah, I don't smoke anymore. So how
about you try making a few sentences using this vocabulary
with the nuances we talked about. Coming up with your
own original sentences is a great way to remember vocabulary.
And if you're looking for a fun, friendly place to
practice this kind of English, then come join my podcast
Learner's Study Group. We meet every week to practice all
the less from these podcasts. Just check the link where
you're listening, or visit Myhappy English dot com and choose
podcast episode nine thirty one for more info. Hey, thanks
for listening, and remember, learning another language is not easy,
but it's not impossible, and I'm here to help you
on your journey.
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