Ever & Never & Just & Already & Yet

Ever

We use “ever” in interrogative sentences:

a. Have you ever been to the United States?
b. Have you ever traveled by train?
c. Have you ever failed a class?

Never

We use “never” in affirmative sentences: but the meaning is negative.

a. I have never cheated in an exam.
b. My son has never been to Moscow.
c. My brother has never visited London before.

We use “just” to express a recently completed action.

a. The cat has just caught a bird.
b. The guests have just arrived.
c. I have just finished my homework.

Already

We use “already” to express that something has happened sooner than expected.

a. Don’t forget to bring your book! Oh, I have already brought it.
b. The boys are going to pack, aren’t they?
No. They have already packed.
c. Is Adam going to buy a new car? No, he isn’t. He has already bought it.

Yet

We use “yet” in interrogative and negative sentences and it suggests a time later than expected.

a. Have you done your homework? No, I haven’t done it yet.
b. Has your father seen your report?
No, he hasn’t seen it yet.
c. Have the visitors arrived?
No, they haven’t arrived yet.

Also See:

Present Perfect Tense
Another exercise with already / just / yet

Quick Exercise

Fill in the blanks using ever, never, just, already and yet.

been in America?

arrived.

.

open.

returned home. You don’t have to worry anymore.

? No, I am still eating mom.

had nightmares.

there.

realized how beautiful you are.

had dinner.

seen such a big ant?

Correct answers:

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We usein interrogative sentences:a. Have youbeen to the United States?b. Have youtraveled by train?c. Have youfailed a class?We usein affirmative sentences: but the meaning is negative.a. I havecheated in an exam.b. My son hasbeen to Moscow.c. My brother hasvisited London before.We useto express a recently completed action.a. The cat hascaught a bird.b. The guests havearrived.c. I havefinished my homework.We useto express that something has happened sooner than expected.a. Don’t forget to bring your book! Oh, I havebrought it.b. The boys are going to pack, aren’t they? No. They havepacked.c. Is Adam going to buy a new car? No, he isn’t. He hasbought it.We usein interrogative and negative sentences and it suggests a time later than expected.a. Have you done your homework? No, I haven’t done itb. Has your father seen your report? No, he hasn’t seen itc. Have the visitors arrived? No, they haven’t arrived

They’ve already agreed to come.

I’d already left by the time you called.

He acted as if he didn’t already know.

Flight 102 will already have taken off by the time Flight 101 lands.

Have they arrived already?! I’m still not dressed!

Do you have to go already?

Recent Examples on the Web

Langer, 64, is already the leading all-time money winner on the senior tour.

—

Todd Kelly, The Arizona Republic, 9 Nov. 2021

That’s the rule that has already been in place and will continue to go in place starting today.

—

Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 9 Nov. 2021

What was already a problem of clinician burnout became a new epidemic in its own right.

—

Tom Lawry, Forbes, 8 Nov. 2021

The infrastructure bill’s passage boosted raw-material and equipment companies such as Steel Dynamics , whose stock was already on a tear before the House approved the roughly $1 trillion legislation Friday.

—

Joe Wallace, WSJ, 8 Nov. 2021

But since shrinkage is typically minimal and the rack has already been green-scored by experienced scorers at 196 inches net the deer is expected to be assume the top spot in Wisconsin crossbow records come late December.

—

Paul A. Smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 8 Nov. 2021

This web of digital disinformation has only exacerbated Americans’ loss of faith in government and institutions, which had already been on the decline even before the 2016 election, according to the Pew Research Center.

—

Yaffa Fredrick, CNN, 8 Nov. 2021

Lopez said the staff is already thin and the remaining waiters had to pick up even more tables and shifts.

—

Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2021

September was already Alaska’s deadliest month of the pandemic, but the additional 29 deaths mean that 162 of the 764 Alaska residents whose deaths have been tied to the disease occurred during September 2021.

—

Morgan Krakow, Anchorage Daily News, 8 Nov. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word ‘already.’ Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.