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VOA名师答疑2022--Already or Yet?

时间:2023-01-05 01:18:38

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(单词翻译)

Already or Yet?

Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question about the differences between "yet" and "already."

Question

Dear Learning1 English,

I can learn a lot from you. I have a question about the difference between "already" and "yet."

For example:

Have you already finished your homework?

Have you finished your homework yet?

Which sentence is natural?

Is there any difference in meaning between these two sentences?

Thank you,

Hiroyuki from Japan

Answer

This is a great question, Hiroyuki! We answered a question a few weeks back about the differences between "yet" and "still." Thank you for bringing "already" into the discussion2.

Your example sentences are in question form, which highlights3 some slight differences between the two words.

Both questions are "natural," as in native English speakers would use both these questions. The difference between them comes from how and why we use them.

Let's look and "yet" and "already" by themselves, then we will look at the differences in your questions.

Yet

"Yet" is an adverb and is often used at the end of a statement or question. We use "yet" in connection with expected actions. We often use "yet" in questions and negative statements.

Here's an example:

Class starts in five minutes and I haven't gotten out of bed yet.

The use of "yet" expresses the idea that the student might be late for class. It connects the class time to their current state.

When we use "yet" in questions, we are unsure if the action has been completed or not and we are checking either way by asking a yes or no question. Here is an example:

Question: You are moving next month! Have you found an apartment yet?

Answer: Not yet. I am still looking at places.

By using "yet" in the question, we guess that the person answering the question has not completed the action up to this point in time.

Already

"Already" is an adverb and we use it before the verb in a sentence.

We use "already" for actions that we expect to occur or have occurred depending on if we use "already" in a statement or question.

When we use "already" in statements the action has occurred.

The paper is due tomorrow and I've already written it.

When we use "already" in a question, we are suggesting that the action may be complete. We want confirmation4 or denial5 in an answer.

Question: You are moving next month! Did you already find an apartment?

Answer: Yep, we found a place last week!

Your two questions

Now let's look at your two questions.

Have you already finished your homework?

Have you finished your homework yet?

In the first question, the questioner may believe that the listener has finished thew homework by using already. Once again, it is just a guess.

In the second question, by using "yet," the questioner is not sure if the homework has been completed or not.

Please let us know if these explanations and examples have helped you, Hiroyuki!

What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at [email protected]

And that's Ask a Teacher.

Words in This Story

occur – v. to happen

apartment – n. a room or set of rooms rented as a home

essay – n. a piece of writing that tells a person's thoughts or opinions about a subject

guess – v. to form an opinion or give an answer about something when you do not know much or anything about it


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 learning wpSzFe     
n.学问,学识,学习;动词learn的现在分词
参考例句:
  • When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时,常会从车上掉下来。
  • Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。
2 discussion 2PBzj     
n.讨论,谈论;论述
参考例句:
  • It is certain he will come to the discussion.他肯定会来参加讨论。
  • After months of discussion,a peace agreement is gradually taking shape.经过几个月的商讨,和平协议渐渐有了眉目。
3 highlights f19f9cf709c8385cd6c3595b87c892bd     
n.头发挑染部分;全球知名儿童刊物及相关产品的发行和销售商的名称、商号及商标
参考例句:
  • The report highlights the major problems facing society today. 报告特别强调了当今社会所面临的主要问题。
  • The report highlights a number of instances of injustice. 这篇报道重点列举了一些不公正的实例。
4 confirmation ZYMya     
n.证实,确认,批准
参考例句:
  • We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
  • We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前,我们需要书面确认。
5 denial Zm0zb     
n.否认;拒绝,拒绝给予
参考例句:
  • The newspaper printed a denial of the untrue story.报社刊登了否认不实消息的声明。
  • Her denial of my advice hurts me.她拒绝我的忠告伤害了我。

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