VOA慢速英语--Four Adverbs: Just, Already, Still, Yet

 

Sometimes, the most common words in the English language can cause the most trouble.

Today, we will talk about four adverbs that are often unclear to English learners. All four words relate to time in some way. They are “just,” “already,” “still” and “yet.”

There are a few reasons for the lack of clarity¹.

Some English learners mistake “just” and “already” as having the same meaning. The same is true for the adverbs “still” and “yet.”

Another reason for the lack of clarity may be that, in some languages, a single adverb can have many meanings. In Portuguese², for example, the word “já” means³ “already” and “yet” and sometimes “just.”

Whatever the reason, we are here today to lessen⁴ confusion⁵ around these adverbs and help you use them correctly.

First, close your eyes and imagine a telephone call between two friends going to the movies. You will hear the four adverbs used. Think about their meanings and how each is different:

Hi, Sue⁶!

How’s it going? Hey, quick question: Should we buy tickets online or at the theater?

Don’t worry. I already got the tickets! I bought them this morning.

You’re the best. Thanks!

Anytime. Anyway, I just left the house. I’ll be at the theater in 20 minutes.

OK. But I’m still getting ready. And I have not eaten yet. But I’ll get a taxi and be there around 6:15.

That works⁷! When I find seats, I’ll text you the row number.

Perfect! See you soon.

What did you learn about the four adverbs and their differences?

Just

Let’s start with the word “just.” We use “just” to say that an action has happened very recently or a short time ago. You heard one speaker say this:

Anyway, I just left the house.

The speaker means “I left the house a very short time ago.”

How long a very short time is will depend on the situation. For example, imagine that you had been going to a university for four years and graduated two weeks ago. You talk to a family member and they ask what is new. You say:

I just graduated from college! I’m so happy to finally be done.

The word “just” was correctly used here because the idea that something happened recently often depends on the time length of the action. Four years is a long time, so graduating two weeks ago is still very recent.

Already

The word “already” is different than “just.”

We usually use “already” to say that an action has happened early or sooner than expected. Here is the example from the phone call:

Don’t worry, I already got the tickets!

Here, the speaker means “I got the tickets sooner than expected." His friend Sue did not expect that the tickets had been purchased.

The speaker did not use the word “just” here because they bought the tickets several hours ago. And, in this situation, that is not a short time ago.

Still

Now, we turn to the adverb “still.”

We use “still” to say that an action is not yet finished, especially if we expected it to finish sooner. Here is the example from the phone call:

OK. But I’m still getting ready.

The speaker is saying, “I haven’t finished getting ready.” And, she probably expected to be ready sooner, especially since the movie starts soon.

Yet

And, finally, we have the word “yet.”

“Yet” is used for actions that someone is watching for or expecting to happen. Unlike⁸ “still,” with “yet,” there is no evidence⁹ that something was expected to finish sooner than now.

“Yet” is usually used in questions and negative sentences. A negative sentence is one that contains the word “not.”

Listen to the example of “yet” from the phone call. Notice that the sentence is negative:

And I have not eaten yet.

We also use “yet” in questions, as in this example:

Have you eaten yet?

No, I haven’t.

Yet vs. Still

As you know, in English grammar, there is always an exception¹⁰ to the rule. Although we mainly use “yet” in negative sentences, we sometimes use the word “still." The meaning is very similar but the tone¹¹ is different.

Listen to two negative sentences. One uses “yet,” while the other uses “still”:

She hasn’t graduated yet.

She still hasn’t graduated.

To a native English speaker, the word “still” here has a judgmental tone. It sounds like the speaker thinks the woman has been in school too long.

Here’s another example that shows a tone change between "yet" and "still":

They haven’t heard from the doctor yet.

They still haven’t heard from the doctor.

In this example, the word “still” sounds like they have been waiting a long time to hear from the doctor. They might even be frustrated¹² about having to wait.

So, do you have a better sense of these four adverbs yet or do you still have questions? Or both? Visit our website, where you can practice.

I’m Alice Bryant.

Words in This Story

ticket - n. a piece of paper that allows you to see a show, participate in an event or travel on a vehicle¹³

graduate – v. to earn a degree or diploma¹⁴ from a school, college, or university

row – n. a line of seats in a theater, stadium¹⁵ or another place

grammar – n. the set of rules that explain how words are used in a language

tone – n. a quality, feeling, or attitude expressed by the words that someone uses in speaking or writing

frustrated – adj. very angry, discouraged¹⁶ or upset because of being unable to do or complete something

practice – v. to do something again and again in order to become better at it

1 clarity   

n.清澈，透明，明晰

参考例句：

• His writing has great clarity of style.他的写作风格清晰易懂。
• Mozart's music is characterized by its naivety and clarity.莫扎特的音乐特色是纯朴兴清澈。

2 Portuguese   

n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语

参考例句：

• They styled their house in the Portuguese manner.他们仿照葡萄牙的风格设计自己的房子。
• Her family is Portuguese in origin.她的家族是葡萄牙血统。

3 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

4 lessen   

vt.减少，减轻；缩小

参考例句：

• Regular exercise can help to lessen the pain.经常运动有助于减轻痛感。
• They've made great effort to lessen the noise of planes.他们尽力减小飞机的噪音。

5 confusion   

n.困惑，迷乱，混淆，混乱，骚乱

参考例句：

• His answers to my questions have only added to my confusion.他对我的问题的回答只是使我更加困惑不解。
• His unexpected arrival threw us into total confusion.他的突然来访使我们完全不知所措。

6 sue   

vt.控告，起诉；vi.请求，追求，起诉

参考例句：

• If you don't pay me the money,I'll sue you.如果你不付给我钱，我就告你。
• The war criminals sue for peace.战犯求和。

7 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

8 unlike   

adj.不同的，不相似的；prep.不像，和...不同

参考例句：

• She's very unlike her mother.她一点也不像她母亲。
• It's unlike him to be late;he's usually on time.他不是会迟到的那种人，他通常很准时。

9 evidence   

n.明显，显著，明白，迹象，根据，[物]证据，证物

参考例句：

• The first signs of spring are in evidence.春天的最初迹象已显然可见。
• From the evidence I must conclude that you are wrong.从证据看，我敢断定你错了。

10 exception   

n.例外,除外

参考例句：

• Everyone should keep discipline and you are no exception. 每个人都应该遵守纪律,你也毫无例外。
• There's an exception to every rule. 每项规则均有例外。

11 tone   

n.语气，音调，气度，色调；vt.（up）增强

参考例句：

• There was a tone of mockery in his voice.他说话的语气含有嘲笑的意味。
• Holmes used an informal,chatty tone in his essays.霍姆斯在文章中语气轻松随便。

12 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 vehicle   

n.车辆，交通工具，运载工具；媒介，表现手段

参考例句：

• Air is the vehicle of sound.空气是声音传播的媒介。
• The power plant burns used vehicle tyres as fuel.这家电厂用废弃轮胎作燃料。

14 diploma   

n.毕业文凭，学位证书

参考例句：

• She won her diploma in only three years.她仅用三年时间就取得了毕业文凭。
• She worked hard to earn her music diploma.她刻苦用功，以求获得音乐学位证书。

15 stadium   

n.露天大型运动场

参考例句：

• The new football stadium can hold eighty thousand people.新的足球场可以容纳八万人。
• The stadium is being used for a match.那个露天运动场正在进行一场比赛。

16 discouraged   

a.泄气的，沮丧的

参考例句：

• She tactfully discouraged their uninvited guests from staying longer. 她巧妙地使这些不请自到的客人知趣儿，没有再呆下去。
• Husbands are discouraged from voting as proxy for their wives. 不主张丈夫代妻子投票。