Already Yet Still Ever Never with Present Perfect | English Grammar Lesson

Hello and welcome everyone, this is Minoo at Anglo-Link.

Today, we're going to review the adverbs

already, yet, still, ever, and never.

We'll do this by looking at the common mistakes I hear from you, and the questions I've received from you.

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Right! Let's start the lesson by looking at common mistake No.1.

Someone says: Have you already posted the package?

And the other person answers: No, I haven't already posted it.

There's a mistake in the answer. What do you think it is?

The correct answer is: I haven't posted it yet.

You must avoid using 'already' in a negative sentence.

Use 'yet' instead.

Now, a common question is: Can we use 'yet' in the question?

And the answer is yes! You can say:  Have you posted the package yet?

So, is there a difference between using  'already' or 'yet' in the question?

Yes, there's a slight difference.

When you ask a question with 'already' you usually expect a positive answer.

Whereas, when you ask your  question with 'yet' you usually expect a negative answer.

Right! Let's look at common mistake No.2.

Continuing the same dialogue, you say to the person:

You promised to post the package yesterday. Have you posted it?

And they answer: No, I haven't still posted it.

There is a mistake in the answer. What do you think it is?

The mistake is in the position of 'still'.

When 'still' insists on a negation, it has to go before:

No, I still haven't posted it.

Okay, let's put what we've learned so far into one dialogue. 

For example, someone says:

Have you booked the tickets yet?

No, I haven't booked them yet. I'll do it tomorrow.

Right! It's now the next day, and the person says:

I hope you've already booked the tickets.

Oh, I'm sorry,  I still haven't booked them. I'll do it right now.

Right! Let's look at common mistake No.3.

Someone says: Have you ever been to Italy?

And the answer comes: Yes, I've ever been there.

There is a mistake in the answer. What is it?

We must not use 'ever' in the answer.

The correct word to use here is 'already'.

Yes, I've already been there.

So, what's the negative answer to this question?

There are two possibilities you can use... 'ever' with a negative verb:

I haven't ever been there.

Or, it's better to use 'never': I've never been there.

A question you might ask is: Can we use yet in this situation?

The answer is... yes!

But, you change the connotation slightly.

If someone says: Have you ever been to Italy? And you answer with 'yet':

No, I haven't been there yet.

You mean that you're planning to visit Italy someday.

Right! That's the end of this lesson.

You can watch my complete lesson on adverbs here.

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Thanks a lot for watching, and I'll see you soon in my next lesson.

Goodbye for now!