VOA名师答疑2024--'Yet'

'Yet'

　　Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from Al.

　　Question

　　Hi, hello

　　My name is Al from Indonesia¹. I am still not sure how to use the word "yet" in a sentence, positive or negative.

　　Would you like to inform us more about that?

　　Thank you very much.

　　Answer

　　Thank you for writing, Al.

　　We have talked about how to use the word "yet" in comparison² to "already" and "still" in earlier Ask a Teacher articles. Now, let's talk about "yet" by itself.

　　"Yet" is almost always used as an adverb of time. It means³ from some time in the past until now. "Yet" is used in both positive and negative sentences.

　　Yes-No Questions

　　In spoken English, "yet" is often used in both yes or no questions. For example,

　　Have you heard from your boss yet?

　　Did you finish your homework yet?

　　We can ask these questions without "yet". Why use it then?

　　When we add "yet" to a question, we not only want to know if it happened, but we expect it to happen. And, we want it to happen.

　　We can use yet with negative questions, too. For example,

　　Have you not heard from your boss yet?

　　Have you not finished your homework yet?

　　Using a negative question expresses an even stronger expectation or desire, almost disbelief that something has not happened "yet!"

　　Statements⁴

　　Most statements with "yet" are negative, especially in informal⁵ spoken language.

　　But you don't have to make a decision yet.

　　We are not there yet.

　　In these negative statements, "yet" expresses an expectation that it will happen at some point in the future.

　　We hope this explanation has helped you, Al.

　　Do you have a question about American English? Send us an email at [email protected].

　　Words in This Story

　　positive—adj. in grammar, a positive sentence does not have any negative words

　　negative—adj. in grammar, a negative sentence shows that something cannot be the case, is not true or not happening

1 Indonesia   

n.印度尼西亚

参考例句：

• You see,I stayed in Indonesia for eight years.你知道，我在印度尼西亚呆了8年。
• Indonesia has more active volcanoes than any other country.印尼是世界上活火山最多的国家。

2 comparison   

n.比较，对照；比拟，比喻

参考例句：

• They make a comparison of New York to a beehive.他们把纽约比作一个蜂巢。
• This dress is really cheaper by comparison.比较起来，这件衣服确实便宜。

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 statements   

n.声明( statement的名词复数 )；（思想、观点、文章主题等的）表现；（文字）陈述；结算单

参考例句：

• We are faced with two apparently contradictory statements. 我们面前这两种说法显然是矛盾的。
• The report is inconsistent with the financial statements. 这个报告与财务报表内容不一致。

5 informal   

adj.非正式的，不拘礼的，通俗的

参考例句：

• I got an informal reception.我受到了非正式接待。
• The leaders met over informal lunches.领袖们在非正式午餐时进行会晤。