Episode 73: Still Waiting, Yet to Come

still/yet/already/anymore — Mahatma Gandhi, 1930 (B1-B2)

Grammar Box

Meaning: These adverbs express different aspects of time continuity. “Still” = continuing from before; “yet” = not happened but expected; “already” = happened sooner than expected; “anymore” = stopped continuing (negative sentences only).

Form: Still (mid-position or front). Yet (end of sentence or with negatives). Already (mid-position or end). Anymore (end, only in negatives). Position affects emphasis.

Example 1: “After 24 days of marching, Gandhi was still walking steadily toward the sea.” (Continuing action.)

Example 2: “The British hadn’t responded yet, but change had already begun in people’s hearts.” (Expected but not happened; happened sooner than expected.)

Common mistake: Wrong: “The movement doesn’t exist still.” Better: “The movement doesn’t exist anymore” or “The movement still doesn’t exist.” (Use “anymore” with negatives for stopped continuity.)

The Challenge

Luna compared sentences. “Professor, when do I use ‘still’ versus ‘yet’? And why do people say ‘not anymore’ but ‘still not’? They all talk about time continuing or stopping, but the rules confuse me.”

The watch pulsed with patient determination. Professor Wisdom appeared with serene calm. “These tiny words capture some of life’s most important concepts — perseverance, expectation, surprise, and change. Let me show you a man whose understanding of ‘still’ and ‘not yet’ changed an empire.”

The Journey

India, March 1930. Mahatma Gandhi, the 61-year-old independence leader whose philosophy of nonviolent resistance had already inspired millions, walked toward the Arabian Sea with growing crowds. The British Empire still ruled India after 200 years. Indian leaders had tried violence; that had failed already. They had tried negotiation; the British hadn’t listened yet. But Gandhi still believed in a different path, one that hadn’t been fully tested yet in the struggle for independence.

This was a man whose patience had already transformed him into a symbol. While younger revolutionaries were still advocating armed rebellion, Gandhi had already recognized that violence only fed the Empire’s strength. The British still controlled India’s salt production, forcing Indians to buy taxed salt even though the ocean still provided it freely along thousands of miles of coastline. This simple injustice hadn’t sparked major protest yet, but Gandhi already saw its symbolic power.

He had announced his intention to march 240 miles to the sea to make salt illegally, breaking the British monopoly. Critics still doubted this would achieve anything. The British still seemed invincible. India’s independence still seemed impossible to most observers. But Gandhi was still walking, still believing, still teaching that change comes not through violence but through moral force that hasn’t been broken yet.

Day after day, his march continued. The press had already begun covering it worldwide. Tens of thousands were still joining him along the route. The British still didn’t know how to respond — they hadn’t arrested him yet because doing so might create a martyr, but they still couldn’t allow this challenge to continue. Gandhi’s movement had already grown beyond anything they had anticipated, yet its full power still hadn’t been revealed.

On April 6, after 24 days, Gandhi reached the sea. His body was still strong despite his age. His resolve was still unshaken. He bent down, picked up a handful of salt from the beach, and held it high. The British salt monopoly still existed legally, but morally it had already been broken. India wasn’t free yet, but it wasn’t quite enslaved anymore either. Change hadn’t fully arrived yet, but it was already unstoppable.

The coastal air smelled of ocean salt and revolution, of the patience that still endures when hope hasn’t died yet. You could hear the waves still crashing as they had for millennia, the crowd’s breathing still quiet with anticipation, Gandhi’s voice still calm as he spoke words that had already echoed across continents but still hadn’t lost their power. This moment that the British thought they still controlled had already slipped from their grasp, yet they didn’t realize it yet.

The Deep Dive

Still indicates continuation of a state or action, often implying “despite expectations to the contrary”: “After hours of debate, they still disagreed.” Position matters for emphasis: “They still disagree” (neutral) versus “They still haven’t agreed” (emphasizing the continuation of disagreement). Yet appears in negatives and questions meaning “up to now” or “by now”: “Has she called yet?” “They haven’t decided yet.”

Already expresses earlier-than-expected completion: “She already finished” (implies “sooner than I thought”). It can also express surprise or emphasis: “You already know everything!” Anymore only works in negative sentences and means something that was true before is no longer true: “I don’t live there anymore.” Never use “still” in this negative continuity sense — “I don’t live there still” is wrong.

Common confusion: “still” versus “yet” in negatives. Both can work but with different nuances. “I haven’t eaten yet” (expected to eat soon). “I still haven’t eaten” (emphasizes the continuation of not eating, perhaps surprisingly). “Yet” looks forward to expected change; “still” looks at current continuation of a state.

More Examples

History: “In 1947, India still wasn’t free, but Gandhi had already proven that empires that still seemed invincible weren’t invincible anymore.”

Science: “Scientists still don’t fully understand consciousness, though they’ve already mapped the brain in detail and yet mysteries remain.”

Everyday: “I’m still waiting for their response, but they haven’t contacted me yet, even though I already sent three reminders.”

Formal: “The research team has already published preliminary findings, yet the complete analysis still hasn’t been released to peer review.”

Informal: “Are you still working on that project? I already finished mine, but I haven’t submitted it yet because I don’t trust it anymore.”

Contrast: “I still wait” (continuing) vs. “I haven’t received it yet” (not happened but expected) vs. “I already received it” (happened sooner than expected) vs. “I don’t wait anymore” (stopped).

Practice & Reflection

Exercises:

1. Fill in the blank: “After weeks of marching, Gandhi was _ walking, though the British hadn’t responded ___ to his challenge.”

2. Correct the mistake: “The British Empire doesn’t rule India still, but its influence hasn’t disappeared already.”

3. Choose and explain: Which expresses surprise at early completion?
   a) “She finished the work yet.”
   b) “She already finished the work.”

4. Rewrite: Express this using “anymore”: “In the past they supported the policy, but now they don’t support it.”

5. Compare: What’s the difference? “I still don’t understand” vs. “I don’t understand yet.”

6. Your reflection: Describe a goal or change in your life using at least three of these adverbs (still, yet, already, anymore).

Answer Key:
1. still… yet (still = continuing; yet = not happened but expected in negative)
2. Change to “doesn’t rule India anymore” and “hasn’t disappeared yet” (anymore for stopped continuity; yet for not happened)
3. (b) expresses surprise — “already” means sooner than expected
4. “They don’t support it anymore.” (anymore = stopped continuity in negatives)
5. First emphasizes continuing lack of understanding; second emphasizes expectation of future understanding
6. Check: Still = continuing? Yet = not happened but expected? Already = sooner than expected? Anymore = stopped (with negative)?

The Lesson

Luna wrote with growing confidence. “I still make mistakes in English, but I’ve already improved a lot. I haven’t mastered grammar yet, but I don’t doubt myself anymore like I used to.”

“Perfect,” Professor Wisdom said warmly. “You’ve captured all four adverbs naturally. Gandhi understood this grammar of patience and change deeply. British rule still seemed permanent, but it had already begun to crumble. Freedom hadn’t arrived yet, but it wasn’t impossible anymore. He still believed when others had stopped believing already.”

“So these small words carry big meanings about time and change?” Luna asked.

“Exactly. They distinguish between ‘continuing,’ ‘not yet happened,’ ‘happened already,’ and ‘stopped continuing.’ Gandhi’s genius was knowing when to say ‘India still isn’t free’ (keeping hope alive) versus ‘India isn’t enslaved anymore’ (recognizing progress made). The Salt March hadn’t freed India yet, but it had already changed what seemed possible. That transformation still inspires us today, and it hasn’t lost its power yet.”