yet

Question

1. When to use yet?? I am confused about its meaning in some sentences.For example, I have yet to see the results; Details are yet to be worked out.What does yet mean in these sentences?

All experience had yet to the minds of men the directness and absoluteness of the pleasure and pain of child-life. How about "yet" here?

2. Orient: get one’s bearings. What does it mean?
3. What's the difference between likely and liable?

Thanks.

Avangi · Accepted Answer

1. (a) It has not happened yet. It has not happened up to this point in time. Details are still to be worked out.

1. (b) I think that's old-fashioned. "Yet" used to mean "still." It was actually used that way in my parents' generation.

Do you feel the pain yet? = Do you feel the pain still? Confusing, isn't it?

2. verb Have you ever used a compass? (Not the kind that draws circles - the magnetic kind that points north) If someone blindfolded you and took you at night, unbeknownst, to another town with which you were familiar; and took you to a remote area in that town which had no significant landmarks, and removed the blindfold; it could take you considerable time to get your bearings. . On a starless night you'd have no sense of direction. You'd wander around until you found something familiar. Eventually, you'd get oriented. You'd know in which direction to travel in order to get where you wanted to go. But it would have required a certain process (known as orientation).

When you're oriented, you know where you are and where you're going.

Think of the opposite. I don't know how it happened. I got lost. I just lost my bearings. I became disoriented.

The word "bearing" is often used to refer to your compass heading. (very important to a seafarer) At two o'clock our bearing was North by Northeast.

3. To my understanding, they're the same. If you go out in the winter weather without your coat and hat, you're likely/liable to catch a cold.

Best wishes, - A.

Edit. Details of this post are yet / still to be worked out!
In trying to clarify 1. (a) I added that last sentence, and realized that "yet = still" is not exactly obsolete. It seems to be one of those situations like "but" where an old-fashioned usage can reverse the meaning in certain negative sentences. Perhaps someone who has had ESL lessons on this has rules which can make it easy. I know when it's right and wrong, but my explanations are going to get convoluted.

In your examples 1. (a) this is current usage, it's a negative sentence, and "yet" and "still" are interchangeable.
In your example 1. (b) this is old fashioned usage, it's a positive sentence, and "yet" and "still" are interchangeable.
I'm quite sure you can still (yet) say, "In my memory, I can hear it still." "In my memory, I can hear it yet." They'd both mean the same thing. You might even be able to say, "I can still hear it yet," but I hope not.

But for sure, in current usage, "Is she here yet?" and "Is she here still?" do not mean the same thing. In current usage (as Yoong Liat pointed out in another post) it's more common to change the order to "Is she still here?" "Do you feel the pain yet?" "Do you still feel the pain?" But in the negative, "I don't feel it yet" and "I still don't feel it" mean essentially the same thing, IMHO. I'm sure one of our experienced staff can make it clear. I didn't realize when I replied what I was getting into. Sorry.

MIA6 · Answer

Hi,Avangi, thanks a lot for your explanations. In my opinion, when yet appears in a positive statement, it seems to have a negative connotation associated with it, as you said, like"but". For my examples, I have yet to see the results; Details are yet to be worked out. "yet" here means like "still". I have yet to see the results, does it mean I still have not seen the result?
All experience had yet to the minds of men the directness and absoluteness of the pleasure and pain of child-life. I can't really understand this one.

Avangi · Answer

MIA6 does it mean I still have not seen the result? Yes.
All experience had yet to the minds of men the directness and absoluteness of the pleasure and pain of child-life. I can't really understand this one. Did you try it with "still"?

Up to that point in time (past tense) men still considered all experience as direct and absolute, in the manner of the pleasure and pain of child-life.

At that time [in history], men were still/yet behaving like children (with respect to the way they responded to the experiences of life).

- A.

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