Using Still, Already, and Yet in English

英语中三个经常引起混淆的时间副词是still, yet和already。

所有这些词都用于描述即将发生的动作，或预期会发生的动作，或目前已经意外发生的动作。

在本文中，我们将更详细地研究still、already和yet的用法。

副词Still

用来描述延续到现在的未完成的动作或情况。

它经常用于描述比预期的时间要长的情况。

注意still的位置;它出现在动词或形容词的前面，而不是后面。

• My grandfather is sixty-nine and he still works every day at the shop he owns.
• Do you still live with your parents?
• It’s 6pm, and I can’t leave the office because I still have work to do.
• Are you still angry with your mum?
• He is still asleep, so don’t wake him up.

如果用两个动词(be动词和实意动词)来描述动作，still这个词就放在它们之间。

• He started his exam an hour ago, and he is still answering the questions.
• Is it still snowing? (= it continues to snow, it hasn’t stopped)
• When I went to bed, John was still working.

但是，如果动词动作的一部分是否定的，或者是not这个词，still出现在否定助动词的前面:

• Adam has stopped smoking but his brother still hasn’t quit.
• I took the clock to the repair shop, but it still isn’t working.

使用Yet

副词yet用于阐明预期的动作，用在疑问句中。它可以用于过去的动作，但必须与过去时态动词连用。

重要的是要记住，单词yet经常出现在句子的结尾。

• Are we there yet? (这是孩子们在长途旅行时问父母的一个典型问题)
• Is the report ready yet?
• Hasn’t dad told you yet? We’re moving to Alaska!

yet这个词也可以用在否定句，来表示预期的行动或事件没有发生:

• Mary can’t go home yet. She hasn’t finished her work.
• They haven’t paid me yet. (and I expected to be paid by now)
• His parents haven’t kicked him out of their house yet.

Yet有时用于肯定句中，与still意思相同。注意，这是更正式的语言，而不是一般的。

• We have yet to hear the big news from Aunt Martha.

=We are still waiting to hear the big news from Aunt Martha.

此外, yet和still常用于解释为什么某个动作一直持续到现在。

• I am still studying at the university because I haven’t graduated yet.
• We still don’t know who our new boss will be. The owners haven’t told us yet.
• I haven’t decided yet if I’m going to quit my job to go travel. I’m still thinking about it.

在英语中使用 Already

Already用来描述发生得比预期的要早。这个副词用于肯定句，通常用于谈论过去或现在。如果使用了将来完成时，它也可以用来谈论将来。

• “Ask Katie to send the article to her editor.” “She has already sent it.”
• “I already know what I’m going to buy you for your birthday.”
• “They’ve already seen Spiderman and really don’t want to see it again.”
• “I will have already cleaned my room by the time you get home.”

注意下面句子中already的位置:

• Is Mary already here? She must have driven very fast to get here before me.
• How does he already have the answers to tomorrow’s test?
• Have they already obtained their visas?

在现在时态的句子中，already位于做动作的主语和动词之间。

对于现在或现在完成动词形式的疑问句，already就出现在主语的后面。

然而，在现在完成时的肯定句中，词序是:主语 have already 过去分词。