yet, already or just

[dorax]

Ned has already/ just fed his pets.
Has Paul started his new job already/yet?
Their plane has not landed already/ yet.

Can we use both words in the above sentences (with a difference in their meaning)?

 

[White Hat]

Not a teacher

Ned has already/just fed his pets.

Both can be used. ("Just" suggests that Ned did it a few moments ago, while "already" prompts that there is no need to feed the dogs for now, as Ned fed them a while ago.)

Has Paul started his new job already/yet?

Both can be used, but I would go with "yet".

Their plane has not landed already/yet.

Only "yet".

Hope this helps.

 

[teechar]

@dorax: Where did you get those sentences?

 

[dorax]

@dorax: Where did you get those sentences?

They were taken from an exercise and I was thinking that both options were correct depending on the context.

 

[Barque]

In both the first two sentences, both options work, but with different meanings.

White Hat has explained the first sentence.

Has Paul started his new job already/yet?

With "already", the speaker means he hadn't expected Paul to have started work.
Paul's started work at his new job.
Already? I thought he was starting in January.

With "yet", he's just asking if he's started or not.

Their plane has not landed already/ yet.

You'd normally hear "yet", used to mean it hasn't landed but is expected to.

I'd only expect "Their plane hasn't landed already" if you were saying this as a strong negation.
He told me their plane's landed already.
He must be flying high on something. It HASN'T landed already. It hasn't even taken off.

 

[teechar]

They were taken from an exercise

From your teacher?

 

[yuliyaon]

According to the proverbial Murphy Grammar Reference and Practice book, in Present Perfect just is used to show that the action finished a short time ago; already = before you expected; yet is used in negative sentences with the meaning 'until now' and in questions it's somewhat similar to already.
In the sentences about Ned and the pets the choice between just and already depends whether you want to emphasise the time (just) or the fact that the action has finished before you expected (already). As for the other two lines, I believe yet is the only right option.

 

[Barque]

already = before you expected

Why do you think this can't apply to the second question (Paul starting his job)?

 

[yuliyaon]

Why do you think this can't apply to the second question (Paul starting his job)?

'Believe' is the key word in my sentence. I'm not saying already cannot be used in those questions.
However, most grammar references I use and trust say already is not normally used in questions, unless the speaker wants to express their surprise at something unexpected:
- Is it seven o’clock already? (The speaker didn’t expect it to be so late.)
- Is it seven o’clock yet? (The speaker thinks that probably it’s almost seven o’clock.)

 

[Barque]

unless the speaker wants to express their surprise at something unexpected:

That's what I'm saying here. Has Paul started his new job already?

The speaker's expressing surprise, because he thought Paul was going to start it later.

 

[jutfrank]

As for the other two lines, I believe yet is the only right option.

No. In the second sentence, both are possible. In the third, only yet works.

The most typical position of already is directly before the main verb but it can also be used at the end of the verb phrase.

 

[dorax]

From your teacher?

From an online exercise.

 

[emsr2d2]

From an online exercise.

Please provide a link to the exercise.

 

[dorax]

Present Perfect Simple (test)

This worksheet deals with the present perfect simple form of the English verb. It consists of seven different exercises. Key is provided on page two. Hope you find it useful.

en.islcollective.com

Exercise 7

 

[Rover_KE]

Please give this information in post #1 in future, dorax.