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Ireneusz Patalas Posted 14 years ago
Grammar
Just or already?
Hello guys,
I've got a question to some english native, because I can't get a good answer here. My friend had a very emotional discussion on her english classes about one sentence:
"What time is he coming? He's [just/already] come. He's at my place now."
Should it be just or already (or maybe both are correct)? The teacher said it should be just and it's also what I think about it, but I cannot find any good argument for it. It's just what I feel, it makes sense for me, because someone is saying that the person has just come and is at his place now. The problem is, some students believed it should be 'already' and they belived it so much that they had an argument about it
I found one online quiz which also contains this sentence and according to it's answers it should be 'already' as well.
I thought I knew the difference, but now I'm confused and don't know what to think about it. I still learn english myself and I would like to know which one is correct to avoid similar problems in future. Can someone help with explanation please?
Best regards.
I've got a question to some english native, because I can't get a good answer here. My friend had a very emotional discussion on her english classes about one sentence:
"What time is he coming? He's [just/already] come. He's at my place now."
Should it be just or already (or maybe both are correct)? The teacher said it should be just and it's also what I think about it, but I cannot find any good argument for it. It's just what I feel, it makes sense for me, because someone is saying that the person has just come and is at his place now. The problem is, some students believed it should be 'already' and they belived it so much that they had an argument about it
I found one online quiz which also contains this sentence and according to it's answers it should be 'already' as well.
I thought I knew the difference, but now I'm confused and don't know what to think about it. I still learn english myself and I would like to know which one is correct to avoid similar problems in future. Can someone help with explanation please?
Best regards.
Top answer
Both are possible. Only 'just' indicates that the coming was very recent, perhaps only seconds ago.
- Both are possible.
- Only 'just' indicates that the coming was very recent, perhaps only seconds ago.
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6 Answers
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Both are possible. Only 'just' indicates that the coming was very recent, perhaps only seconds ago.
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That's what I think as well, but I'd like to hear it from a native (no offence of course) and I still don't know why was 'already' more preffered (actually the only answer considered correct there) in the quiz I found.
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Ireneusz Patalas I'd like to hear it from a native (no offence of course)Well, I have been a native speaker for over sixty years.
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Ohh... my apologies then (I was misled by the country in your profile) and thank you for your answer.
Is one of the answers more preffered than the other or is it just the matter of how recent it happened at the time of speaking?
If it's the latter one then it makes no sense to put such sentence in an English quiz and require only one correct answer when both are and none of them is "more
Is one of the answers more preffered than the other or is it just the matter of how recent it happened at the time of speaking?
If it's the latter one then it makes no sense to put such sentence in an English quiz and require only one correct answer when both are and none of them is "more
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Ireneusz PatalasIf it's the latter one then it makes no sense to put such sentence in an English quiz and require only one correct answer when both are and none of them is "more correct" than the other, right?Right! if there are no other clues that would tip the balance to one or the other, they're both equally acceptable.
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A: "What time is he coming?"
B: He's just come. (I see him walking in the door.) He's at my place now.
(Better: He's just arrived. / He's just come in.)
A: "What time is he coming?"
B: He's already come. (He has taken off his coat, discussed yesterday's football game with the other guests, and is on his second beer..) He's at my place now.
B: He's just come. (I see him walking in the door.) He's at my place now.
(Better: He's just arrived. / He's just come in.)
A: "What time is he coming?"
B: He's already come. (He has taken off his coat, discussed yesterday's football game with the other guests, and is on his second beer..) He's at my place now.
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