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Does using yet in a sentence mean you expect something to happen or it may happen?
Main Post:
Like when you say something hasn't happened yet, does it mean we expect it to happen or think it may happen?
Like if someone says I haven't tried skiing yet, does it mean I am expected to try skiing?
Or if I say "I haven't fallen in love with a german girl yet" does it mean I am expecting to fall in love with a german girl or just saying it could happen?
Top Comment: The implication if you use "yet" is that the thing in question is likely to happen, or at least is quite possible. You'll see it used in jokes that way. Example: Sandra proudly declared, "My candidate hasn't broken one campaign promise!" "...Yet," Maddie added, to Sandra's dismay. ___ Maddie thinks it's likely that the politician will break at least one campaign promise, if not more. All she has to do to communicate this is add "yet" to Sandra's positive statement.
Native speakers - do you use "yet" this way?
Main Post:
"I have some firewood yet" (I still have some firewood)
"I'm at the office yet" (I'm still at the office)
Context: I'm a native American English speaker from Oklahoma. In my native dialect, "yet" is only used in sentences like "I haven't done that yet" or "have you gotten that letter yet?" I would recognize the other usage, but it would seem archaic and I only knew it from old books.
I moved to North Dakota in 1999, and people here still commonly use both meanings. So I'm just wondering - is this rare? Are there other places where English retains the "still" meaning?
Update: I just got this email at work in response to a request to get some data loaded on a server and thought of this thread:
"I will try and get this done today yet"
Top Comment: I would understand it, but I agree it sounds.. old timey.
The use of “yet”
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My friend wanted to express that something doesn’t usually happen, but it occurred today by saying: “Not always, yet today”.
It seems to me that with that wording he conveyed, and rather emphatically that “It doesn’t usually happen and it did not happen today either”.
He should rather have said “not always, and yet today”, to use “yet” in the contrasting sense. Am I mistaken?
Top Comment: you’ve got the meaning backwards. Both your examples mean it doesn’t normally happen and yet it did happen today. Your correction with the ‘and’ sounds like you stopped mid sentence. “it doesn’t always happen, and yet today...” “and yet today what?” is likely what you would hear back
What does "yet" means in these sentences?
Main Post:
Has she got a name yet? Have you chose it yet?
Top Comment: "yet" means up until the present moment. These sentences both imply that it is something that should have happened already. They could be rewritten as "Has she gotten a name by now? Have you still not chosen it?" (It should be 'gotten' and 'chosen,' not 'got' and 'chose,' though 'got' is still understandable and something a native speaker might say) Edit: 'got' is perfectly acceptable as a past participle, my bad
She’s not ready yet : memes
Main Post: She’s not ready yet : memes
Reddit - The heart of the internet
Main Post: Reddit - The heart of the internet
Reddit - The heart of the internet
Main Post: Reddit - The heart of the internet
[Text] Soon I will be gone forever, but that's okay as long as someone reads this
Main Post:
I am only 24 years old, yet I have actually already chosen my last tie. It’s the one that I will wear on my funeral a few months from now. It may not match my suit, but I think it’s perfect for the occasion.
The cancer diagnosis came too late to give me at least a tenuous hope for a long life, but I realized that the most important thing about death is to ensure that you leave this world a little better than it was before you existed with your contributions . The way I’ve lived my life so far, my existence or more precisely the loss of it, will not matter because I have lived without doing anything impactful.
Before, there were so many things that occupied my mind. When I learned how much time I had left, however, it became clear which things are really important. So, I am writing to you for a selfish reason. I want to give meaning to my life by sharing with you what I have realized:
- Don’t waste your time on work that you don’t enjoy. It is obvious that you cannot succeed in something that you don’t like. Patience, passion, and dedication come easily only when you love what you do.
- It’s stupid to be afraid of others’ opinions. Fear weakens and paralyzes you. If you let it, it can grow worse and worse every day until there is nothing left of you, but a shell of yourself. Listen to your inner voice and go with it. Some people may call you crazy, but some may even think you‘re a legend.
- Take control of your life Take full responsibility for the things that happen to you. Limit bad habits and try to lead a healthier life. Find a sport that makes you happy. Most of all, don’t procrastinate. Let your life be shaped by decisions you made, not by the ones you didn’t.
- Appreciate the people around you Your friends and relatives will always be an infinite source of strength and love. That is why you shouldn’t take them for granted.
It is difficult for me to fully express my feelings about the importance of these simple realizations, but I hope that you will listen to someone who has experienced how valuable time is.
I'm not upset because I understand that the last days of my life have become meaningful. I only regret that I will not be able to see a lot of cool stuff that should happen soon like the creation of AI, or Elon Musk’s next awesome project. I also hope that the war in Syria and Ukraine will end soon.
We care so much about the health and integrity of our body that until death, we don’t notice that the body is nothing more than a box - a parcel for delivering our personality, thoughts, beliefs and intentions to this world. If there is nothing in this box that can change the world, then it doesn’t matter if it disappears. I believe that we all have potential, but it also takes a lot of courage to realize it.
You can float through a life created by circumstances, missing day after day, hour after hour. Or, you can fight for what you believe in and write the great story of your life. I hope you will make the right choice.
Leave a mark in this world. Have a meaningful life, whatever definition it has for you. Go towards it. The place we are leaving is a beautiful playground, where everything is possible. Yet, we are not here forever. Our life is a short spark in this beautiful little planet that flies with incredible speed to the endless darkness of the unknown universe. So, enjoy your time here with passion. Make it interesting. Make it count!
Thank you!
Top Comment:
I'm speechless and overwhelmed by all your positive replies. I wrote this from the heart and I really wanted to make an impact. I never thought so many would care about this. I have tears in my eyes now, but these are tears of happiness. The funny thing about this situation is that I don't think I have ever cried because of happiness before. My hands are shaking so I had to retype this several times. Thanks to all of you and to all the amazing people in the Reddit community! Thank you, thank you, thank you!