What is the difference between still and yet?

Still says a situation continues (The ferry is still on the pontoon), while yet, in a negative or a question, says an expected event has not happened (The ferry hasn't cast off yet; Has it left yet?). Still not (She still hasn't collected the table) adds impatience to a continuing wait; yet is more neutral (She hasn't collected it yet).

What is the difference between still and no longer?

They are opposites. Still means the situation has not changed: Nia still keeps a spare painter on that cleat. No longer (or not any more) means the situation used to be true and has stopped: Nia no longer keeps a spare painter there. If you can add 'and I expected it to have changed' to a still-sentence, you have the common extra shade of still.

Where do I put already and yet in a sentence?

Already sits in mid position (The tide has already turned; She already knows the slack), and in a question it often shows surprise (Have they already taken the painter?). Yet sits at the end of negatives and questions (It hasn't left yet; Has she collected it yet?). Do not write hasn't still or already yet.

Is not any more the same as no longer?

Yes in meaning: They no longer stack pots there and They don't stack pots there any more both say the habit has ended. No longer is mid-clause and a little more formal; not any more (British) and not anymore (American) sit at the end. No more as a time adverb is literary, and as a quantifier it means 'not a larger amount'.

How is this different from already, just, and yet?

That sibling page is about already, just, and yet with the present perfect: I've just moored, they've already gone, has she left yet. This page is a four-way set: still and no longer sit with already and yet as equal members, and just is not in the set. Use still / no longer when the question is whether a state continues or has ended.

English grammar · Intermediate

Still, No Longer, Already, and Yet: Four Time Adverbs

Written by Eleanor Whitfield, Lead English Curriculum Editor · Reviewed September 2026

Still, no longer (and not any more), already, and yet are four time adverbs that locate a situation against what the speaker expected. Still says a state continues (The ferry is still on the pontoon). No longer and not any more say a state has ended (Nia no longer keeps a spare painter on that cleat). Already says something has happened sooner than expected. Yet says an expected event has not happened, and it lives in negatives and questions. The four belong together; already, just, and yet with the present perfect have a sibling page of their own.

The ferry is still on the pontoon; it has not cast off yet.

still: the waiting continues; yet: the expected casting-off has not happened

What it is

These four words do not name a clock time. They name a relationship between now and an expectation. Still looks at a situation and says it has not changed (The harbourmaster is still in the booth). No longer and not any more look at a situation and say it has changed: it used to be true and it is not true now (They no longer stack lobster pots on that pontoon). Already says an event has happened, and sooner or more definitely than the listener might think (The tide has already turned). Yet, in a negative or a question, says an expected event is missing (Has the ferry cast off yet? It hasn't left yet). Learn them as a set of four, not as two pairs.

The ferry is still on the pontoon. (continues) It no longer waits for the late vans. (ended) It has already taken the early catch. (sooner than you think) It hasn't cast off yet. (expected, still missing)

How to spot it

Still usually sits before the main verb or after be (is still, still waiting). No longer sits in the same mid position; not any more (or not anymore) sits at the end. Already sits mid-clause with a perfect or a past, or before the main verb. Yet sits at the end of a negative or a question.

Nia is still on the pontoon with the spare painter. (still: the waiting continues)
They no longer stack lobster pots on that berth. (no longer: a past habit that has ended)
The tide has already turned against the harbour wall. (already: sooner than expected)
Has the skipper collected the tide table yet? (yet at the end of a question: expected, maybe missing)

Still not and not yet both say something has not happened, but they do not feel the same. She still hasn't called stresses surprise that the waiting continues. She hasn't called yet is the neutral 'not up to now'. No longer is not a synonym of still not.

Still, No Longer, Already, and Yet Quick Reference

Four adverbs, four relationships to now

Adverb	What it says	Typical position
still	the situation continues, often longer than expected	before the main verb, after be: is still, still waiting
no longer / not any more	the situation has ended; it used to be true	no longer mid-clause; not any more at the end
already	the event has happened, often sooner than expected	between have and the participle, or before the main verb
yet	the expected event has not happened (negatives and questions)	at the end: hasn't left yet, Has she left yet?
still not / still hasn't	the waiting continues, with surprise or impatience	still before hasn't / isn't
not yet	neutral 'not up to now'	not yet before the verb, or hasn't ... yet at the end

Common Still, No Longer, Already, and Yet Examples in English

One harbour, four adverbs, equal weight. Each group is a different relationship between now and what used to be, or what was expected:

Still (It Continues)

The ferry is still on the pontoon.: the waiting state has not changed
Nia still keeps a spare painter on that cleat.: still before the main verb: a habit continues
The harbourmaster is still in the booth.: still after be
They are still unloading the early catch.: still in a continuous: the action has not finished

Still is comfortable with present simple, present continuous, and present perfect (She still hasn't collected the tide table). The feeling is continuation, often with a hint that the speaker expected change.

No Longer and Not Any More (It Has Ended)

They no longer stack lobster pots on that pontoon.: no longer: a past arrangement that has stopped
Nia is no longer skipper of the early run.: no longer after be
The kiosk doesn't sell tide tables any more.: not any more at the end
He doesn't keep a spare painter on that cleat anymore.: anymore: the one-word American spelling

No longer and not any more / anymore are equal members of this set, not afterthoughts. They are the opposite of still: the situation used to hold, and it does not hold now.

Already (Sooner, or Sooner Than You Think)

The tide has already turned against the harbour wall.: already between have and the participle
The early catch is already in the boxes.: already after be: the state is in place
Have they already taken the spare painter?: already in a question: surprise that it happened so soon
Nia already knows the afternoon slack.: already before a simple present: knowledge in place

Already looks at a completed change and says it is in place, often earlier than expected. It pairs naturally with the present perfect in British English, and with the past simple in American English (They already took it).

Yet (Expected, Not So Far)

The ferry hasn't cast off yet.: yet at the end of a negative
Has the skipper collected the tide table yet?: yet at the end of a question
They haven't unloaded the late van yet.: present perfect negative plus yet
Is the harbourmaster back yet?: yet with be in a question

Yet is not a mid-clause twin of already in standard use. It prefers the end of negatives and questions. In a positive sentence it is rare and literary (There is hope yet).

How Still, No Longer, Already, and Yet Work

Four positions, four expectations, and one pair of near-synonyms for a finished state.

Still Marks Continuation

Still sits in mid position: after be (is still), after the first auxiliary (has still not, is still waiting), and before a simple verb (still keeps). It says the situation has not changed. The hint of surprise (I thought this would be over) is common but not required. Still not / still hasn't adds the surprise more clearly than a plain not yet.

The ferry is still on the pontoon. Nia still hasn't collected the tide table.

still after be; still before hasn't, with impatience

Still = this has not changed.

No Longer and Not Any More Mark an End

No longer sits where still sits: Nia is no longer skipper. They no longer stack pots there. Not any more (British, two words) and not anymore (American, one word) sit at the end: The kiosk doesn't sell tide tables any more. Both mean a past state has stopped. They are the true opposite of still. They are not the opposite of yet.

They no longer stack pots on that pontoon. They don't stack them there any more.

same ended habit, two positions

No longer / not any more = this used to be true.

Already Marks a Change That Is In Place

Already sits between have and the participle (has already turned), after be (is already in the boxes), or before a simple verb (already knows). In questions it often expresses surprise that something happened so soon (Have they already taken it?). It is at home with the present perfect, but it is not locked to that tense.

The tide has already turned. Have they already taken the painter?

already in a statement, then in a surprised question

Already = this happened, and it is in place.

Yet Marks a Missing Expected Event

Yet prefers negatives and questions, and it prefers the end of the clause: hasn't cast off yet, Has she collected it yet? It says the speaker still expects the event. Yet and already are not a simple pair with still and no longer; yet is about an expected event that has not arrived, while no longer is about a state that has gone. Mixing yet with a positive mid-clause already-shape (*The ferry has yet cast off) is not standard.

Has the ferry cast off yet? It hasn't left yet.

yet at the end of a question and of a negative

Yet = not so far, and I expected it.

Common Mistakes with Still, No Longer, Already, and Yet

Incorrect: The ferry hasn't still cast off.

Correct: The ferry still hasn't cast off. / The ferry hasn't cast off yet.

Still in a negative sits before hasn't (or isn't), not after it. Yet sits at the end. Hasn't still is the wrong slot, and it also mixes two adverbs' homes.

Incorrect: They don't stack lobster pots on that pontoon yet. (meaning the habit has ended)

Correct: They no longer stack lobster pots on that pontoon. / They don't stack lobster pots on that pontoon any more.

Yet means an expected event has not happened. If pots used to be stacked there and the arrangement has stopped, the adverb is no longer or not any more. Yet would mean stacking is still expected in the future.

Incorrect: Has the skipper collected the tide table already yet?

Correct: Has the skipper collected the tide table yet? / Has the skipper already collected the tide table?

Already and yet both grade an expected event, but they do not stack. Yet goes at the end of the question. Already goes before the participle and adds surprise that it happened so soon. Pick one.

Incorrect: Nia still not is on the pontoon.

Correct: Nia is still not on the pontoon. / Nia still isn't on the pontoon.

Still follows be, or precedes the contracted negative: is still not, still isn't. It does not sit in front of is. Word order is the whole of this adverb's grammar.

Not Any More, Still in Questions, and American Yet

Spelling, a second place for still, and a variety difference that learners meet early.

No longer vs. not any more vs. no more

No longer is the mid-clause form and is a little more formal. Not any more (BrE) and not anymore (AmE) sit at the end. No more as a time adverb (He lives there no more) is literary; as a quantifier it means 'not a larger amount' (no more rope).

Nia is no longer skipper of the early run.: no longer after be
The kiosk doesn't sell tide tables any more.: british end-position form
He doesn't keep a spare painter on that cleat anymore.: american one-word spelling

No more rope is quantity, not time. They no longer have rope on that cleat is the time reading.

Still in questions and in offers

Still in a question can ask whether a state continues (Is the ferry still on the pontoon?) or express surprise that it does. Do you still want the late berth? checks that a wish has not changed.

Is the harbourmaster still in the booth?: a check that the state continues
Do you still need the spare painter?: has the need ended, or not
Are they still unloading in this wind?: surprise that the action continues

Yet in a question (Has she collected it yet?) asks about an expected event, not about a continuing state. Still and yet do not swap in questions.

Yet and already with the past simple

British English prefers the present perfect with already and yet: Has she collected it yet? She's already taken it. American English often uses the past simple: Did she collect it yet? She already took it. Both are standard in their varieties.

Has the skipper collected the tide table yet?: british present perfect plus yet
Did the skipper collect the tide table yet?: american past simple plus yet
They already took the spare painter.: american past simple plus already

Still and no longer do not care which tense you pick in the same way. They attach to states in whatever tense the facts need: She is still there. She was still there at dusk. She no longer works that run.

Quick Check: Still, No Longer, Already, and Yet

Choose still, no longer / not any more, already, or yet.

1. The ferry is ___ on the pontoon. (the waiting continues)

Answer: still

continuation: still after be

2. They ___ stack lobster pots on that berth. (the habit has ended, mid-clause)

Answer: no longer

ended state: no longer

3. The kiosk doesn't sell tide tables ___. (ended, end-position)

Answer: any more / anymore

not any more at the end

4. The tide has ___ turned against the harbour wall. (sooner than we thought)

Answer: already

already between have and the participle

5. Has the skipper collected the tide table ___?

Answer: yet

yet at the end of a question

6. Nia ___ hasn't collected the tide table. (impatient continuation)