This was a request that I had from Zsuzsapszi, but I think that others may wish to hear my answer.
�I have another question. Hope you have time to answer it. Can you explain me in which situations, cases can I use �yet � in past simple?
Thanks in advance.
Hugs,
Susan�
Dear Susan,
I think that the short answer is: �In British English, you cannot use �yet� when using the Past Simple Tense! �Yet� is most often used with the Present Perfect Tense.�
OXFORD DICTIONARY OF ENGLISH, 2006.
YET
� adverb 1. Up until the present or a specified or implied time, by now or then: I haven�t told anyone else yet. | aren�t you ready yet? | I have yet to be convinced. | (with superlative) the congress was widely acclaimed as the best yet.
n (with negative) as soon as the present or a specified time or implied time: wait, don�t go yet. n from now into the future for a specified length of time: I hope to continue for some time yet. n referring to something that will or may happen in the future: further research may yet explain the enigma. | I know she�s alive and I�ll find her yet.
2. Still; even (used to emphasize increase or repetition): snow, snow, and yet more snow. | yet another diet book. | the rations were reduced yet again.
3. in spite of that; nevertheless: every week she gets worse, and yet it could go on for years.
� conjunction but at the same time; but nevertheless: the path was dark, yet I slowly found my way.
--- phrases: as yet; up to the time under consideration; nor yet: not any; not either; not one, absolutely none.
Quirk, in �A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language�, 2010, page 192, says: �The Present Perfective differs from the Simple Past in relating a past event/state to a present time orientation ... it is generally felt that they are not interchangeable, but that the Present Perfective relates the action more directly to the present time�.
In my opinion, in British English, the word �yet� does not have relevance to past time. The word �yet� does have relevance to present or future time.
Consequently, I suggest that �yet� cannot normally be used with the Past Simple Tense, but is more often used with the Present Perfect Tense, and also occasionally with other Tenses.
In British English, the Past Simple Tense makes reference only to past time and does not refer to the present or the future.
�I drank my coffee this morning�.
�I did not drink my coffee this morning!�
�Did I drink my coffee this morning?�
�Did I not drink my coffee this morning?�
I am thinking ONLY about the past. I am NOT thinking about the present or the future!
In British English, the Present Perfect Tense recounts an event which happened in the past, but which has consequences in the present.
�I have drunk my coffee and now I must go to the toilet�.
�I have not drunk my coffee and now I am thirsty!�
�Have I drunk my coffee? because now I feel thirsty.�
�Have I not drunk my coffee? because now I can�t remember.�
We can insert the word �yet�, (meaning �up to the present time�) in Negative and Interrogative (Question) sentences, but not normally in Positive sentences.
�I have drunk my coffee and now I must go to the toilet�. (Positive)
�I have not drunk my coffee YET (and now I am thirsty!)�
�Have I drunk my coffee YET? (because now I feel thirsty.)�
�Have I not drunk my coffee YET? (because now I can�t remember.)�
However, NOTE that Quirk draws our attention to the big difference between British English and American English.
Quirk, page 194.
British English: �Have the children come home yet?� (Present Perfect Tense).
American English: �Did the children come home yet?� (Past Simple Tense).
(I teach British English. Those teachers who teach American English must make a clear distinction between British and American usage!)
Here are some opinions from other writers.
�I haven �t done it yet�. (UK)
�I didn �t do it yet�. (US)
We use yet to say something hasn�t happened, but we think it will happen in the future. We don�t use yet in positive sentences: He hasn�t finished it yet. Have you finished it yet? but NOT I�ve finished it yet.
When we look back on the recent past, we often use the words �just � �already � or the word �yet � (in negatives and questions only).
�We �ve already talked about that�.
�She hasn �t arrived yet�.
�I �ve just done it�.
�They �ve already met�.
�They don �t know yet�.
�Have you spoken to him yet?�
�Have they got back to you yet?�
Not yet is used to say that something which is expected is in the future, not the present or the past.
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"Is Sally here?" "Not yet." |
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�The postman hasn �t come yet.� |
In questions, we use yet to ask whether something expected has happened.
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�Is supper ready yet?� |
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�Has the postman come yet?" |
Note that already and yet can also be used to speak about the past, and in British English we would use the past perfect tense to do this:
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�I wanted to know if he had already left.� |
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�They hadn �t even got up yet.� |
Yet is used in negative statements and questions, to mean (not) in the period of time between before now and now, (not) up to and including the present. e.g.
a. �Have you met Judy yet?�
b. �I haven �t visited the Tate Gallery yet.�
c. �Has he arrived yet?�
d. �They haven �t eaten yet.�
Yet can be an adverb meaning:
1 - up till now/up till this time: �Has he come yet?� �I haven �t seen him yet�; �I have nothing to say as yet.�
2 - in spite of everything: �He �s not among the leaders but he could win yet.�
3 - even: �Yet more people�; �He ate yet another cake.�
It can also be a conjunction meaning still/but: �She hasn �t got many friends, yet everyone likes her.�
�yet� How it is used
Look at the use of �yet� in the following sentences?
1. �When�s your holiday?� �Oh, not for ages yet.�
2. It could be months yet before they know their fate.
3. The election won�t take place for three weeks yet.
4. She won�t be back for a long time yet.
5. Our holiday isn�t for weeks yet.
6. Ron and Charlene will be in Florida for another six days yet.
�Yet� is often used in negative sentences to talk about something that hasn�t happened so far, but is expected to happen later.
When a period of time is mentioned, �yet� indicates �from now until the period of time mentioned has passed� (OALD), and can also be used for this purpose in affirmative (positive) sentences.
We see this use of �yet� in the second sentence in 1 and in sentences 3, 4 and 5 (all negative sentences), but also in sentence 6 (an affirmative sentence).
In sentence 1, �� not for ages yet� the period of time mentioned is �ages� (a long time, but the exact time is unspecified), and this period of time must pass before the speaker goes on his holiday.
In sentence 2, �It could be months yet before they know their fate,� �yet� is used in a slightly different way. It is used with �could� in an affirmative sentence to say that something (i.e. months before they know their fate) could, but is unlikely to be true in the future. This means that it is unlikely they will have to wait so long to know their fate.
In sentence 3, �The election won�t take place for three weeks yet.� the period of time mentioned is �three weeks� and it is only after this period has passed that the election will take place.
In sentence 4, �She won�t be back for a long time yet.� the period of time is similar to that in 1, i.e. �a long time�, with no exact figures given. It is only after this period that she will be back.
In sentence 5, �Our holiday isn�t for weeks yet.� the period of time is �weeks� (without the number of weeks being mentioned) and means that we won�t have �our holiday� now or this week, but several weeks later.
In sentence 6, which is an affirmative sentence, the period of time mentioned in the sentence is six days, which indicates the number of days left from now that Ron and Charlene will be in Florida, or the number of days left before they leave Florida.
To repeat, I think that, in British English, �yet� cannot normally be used with the Past Simple Tense, �I did not eat my dinner yet!� but that it is frequently used with the Present Perfect Tense: �I have not eaten my dinner yet!�
I hope that I have helped you.
Les
