What is the difference between “still” and “yet”? Does “still” suggest an action or situation that continues into the present (e.g., “She is still waiting”) while “yet” refers to something that has not occurred up to the present but is expected to (e.g., “He hasn’t called yet”)? These adverbs differ in their use of time and expectation.
“Still” and “yet” are both adverbs that convey temporal relationships, but they are used in different contexts and with distinct nuances.
“Still” typically indicates an ongoing action or situation that continues from the past into the present. It often implies a sense of persistence or continuation. For example: “She is still waiting for her friend to arrive.” In this case, it emphasizes the continuity of waiting without any change in the situation.
On the other hand, “yet” is used to convey a sense of expectation or anticipation regarding the completion of an action up to the present moment. It is often used in negative sentences or questions to indicate that something is expected to happen or change, but it hasn’t occurred as of now. For example: “He hasn’t called yet.” Here, “yet” implies that there is an expectation for the action of calling to happen in the future.
In summary, “still” emphasizes continuity or persistence of an existing action or situation, while “yet” indicates an expectation for something to happen or change in the future. Both adverbs play a crucial role in conveying different temporal relationships in English sentences.