A
Still
We use still to say that a situation or action is continuing, It hasn’t changed or stopped.
– It’s 10:00 and Joe is still in bed.
– WHen I went to bed, Chris was still working.
– Do you still want to go to the party, or have you changed your mind?
Still usually goes in the middle of the sentences with the verb.
B
Anymore / any longer / no longer
We use not … anymore or not … any longer to say that a situation has changed.
Anymore and any longer go at the end of a sentences:
– Lucy doesn’t work here anymore (or any longer). She left last month.
(not Lucy doesn’t still work here.)
– We used to be good friends, but we aren’t anymore (or any longer).
You can also use no longer. No longer goes in the middle of the sentences:
– Lucy no longer works here.
Note that we do not normally use no more in this way:
– We are no longer friends. (not We are no more friends.)
Compare still and not … anymore:
– Sally still works here, but Ann doesn’t work here anymore.
C
Yet
Yet = until now. We use yet mainly in negative sentences (He isn’t here yet) and questions (Is he here yet?).
Yet shows that the speaker is expecting something to happen.
Yet usually goes at the end of a sentence:
– It’s 10:00 and Joe isn’t here yet.
– Have you met your new neighbors yet?
– “Where are you going for vacation?” “We don’t know yet.”
We often use yet with the present perfect (Have you met … yet?).
Compare yet and still:
– Mike lost his job six months ago and is still unemployed.
Mike lost his job six months ago and hasn’t found another job yet.
- It is still raining?
Has it stopped raining yet?
Still is also possible in negative sentences (before the negative):
– She said she would be here an hour ago, and she still hasn’t come.
This is similar to “she hasn’t come yet.” But still … not shows a stronger feeling of surprise or impatience.
Compare:
– I wrote to him last week. He hasn’t replied yet. (but I expect he will reply soon)
– I wrote to him months ago and he still hasn’t replied. (he should have replied before now)
D
Already
We use already to say that something happened sooner than expected. Already usually goes in the middle of a sentence:
– “What time is Sue leaving?” “She has already left.” (= sooner than you expected)
– Should I tell Joe what happened, or does he already know?
– I’ve just had lunch, and I’m already hungry.
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