Is it still true? Is it finished yet?
We use still, yet and already to talk about the situation now. In our story about the floppy disks at air traffic control, you can find all three: Some air traffic control centres in the United States still use floppy disks. and The work is not finished yet. We also read: The FAA has already chosen the first places for the new system.
Use each word like this:
- still = the situation has not changed. It comes before the main verb, but after be: Controllers still use the old screens. · The system is still in use.
- already = it happened, and sooner than you may think. Use it in positive sentences: The crew has already finished the checklist.
- yet = until now. Use it in negative sentences and questions, usually at the end: The new system is not ready yet. · Has the plane landed yet?
- no longer = it stopped. It means “not now, but before”: Most people no longer use floppy disks. It goes in the same place as still.
Watch out for these mistakes
- ✗ The work is not finished already. → ✓ The work is not finished yet. (In a negative sentence, use yet, not already.)
- ✗ The FAA has yet chosen the first sites. → ✓ The FAA has already chosen the first sites. (A positive sentence takes already.)
- ✗ Most people no longer don’t use floppy disks. → ✓ Most people no longer use floppy disks. (No longer is already negative. Do not add not.)
Try these
Rewrite each sentence with the word in brackets. Keep the meaning. Then open the answers and compare.
- Controllers started to use floppy disks years ago, and they use them today. (still)
- The FAA chose the first sites earlier than some people expected. (already)
- The work is not finished, but it will finish later. (yet)
- Companies stopped making some old parts, so they do not make them now. (no longer)
- We want to know if the new system is ready now. Ask the question. (yet)
- Controllers still use floppy disks. (The situation has not changed, so still goes before the main verb.)
- The FAA has already chosen the first sites. (Already sits between has and the past participle.)
- The work is not finished yet. (Yet goes in a negative sentence, usually at the end.)
- Companies no longer make some old parts. (No longer means they stopped, and it goes before the main verb.)
- Is the new system ready yet? (Yet is common at the end of a question.)
Now check your understanding of the meaning:
-
The fuel truck has not arrived. The crew is waiting. Which sentence is correct?
Still shows that a situation continues. The crew started waiting before and has not stopped.
-
Choose the best word: “Has the flight landed ____?”
Yet is common in questions about something that we expect to happen.
-
Which sentence means the airline stopped flying to Lisbon?
No longer means ‘not now, but before’.
Now make it real
Write two true sentences about your work or flying life. Use two of these words: still, already, yet, no longer. Try this frame: I still … · I have already … · I have not … yet · I no longer …
Check your sentences before you look at the samples:
- Is the meaning true for you?
- Is still or no longer before the main verb (or after be)?
- Is yet only in a negative sentence or a question, and already only in a positive sentence?
- Do the capital letters, full stops and spelling look right?
Here are two samples to compare with your own:
- I still check the weather before every flight.
- I have already finished my English homework this week.
Now read your sentences again. Can you add one more detail, for example a time or a place?
CEFR Level A2 / ICAO Level 3
Want more reading at your level? Browse our CEFR A2 archive and look for still, yet and already.
