FOR, SINCE, YET, ALREADY

‘Yet’ is used to talk about something which is expected to happen. It means ‘at any time up to now’. It is used in questions and negatives.

• Have you finished your homework yet? The speaker expects that the homework will be finished.
• I haven’t finished it yet. I’ll do it after dinner.

‘Yet’ usually comes at the end of the sentence.

‘Already’ is used to say that something has happened early – or earlier than it might have happened.

• I’ve already spent my salary and it’s two weeks before pay day.
• The train’s already left! What are we going to do?

‘Already’ usually comes in mid-position.

For/since

The words for and since are used in sentences where the speaker wants to talk about something that started in the past and continues into the present.

For is used when specifying the amount of time (how long):

• I've had this watch for more than 40 years.
• I've only known her for a few weeks.
• He's been here for 6 months and still can't speak a word of German.
• She's been smoking for a long time. No wonder she coughs so much!

Since is used when specifying the starting point:

• I've had this watch since 1965.
• I've only known her since the beginning of last week.
• He's been here since April and he still can't speak a word of German.
• She's been smoking since she started grade 5. No wonder she coughs so much!

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