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calvin_lau
I've just stumbled upon this explanation of "be yet to" and "have yet to",what do u think about it?
Here is the link: http://www.englishforums.com/English/Versus/djxxm/post.htm
It sounds correct and is quite interesting. This is what I quote from the forum thread below:
Context:
First of all, there is always a reason to use certain words rather than others. Each word inflect upon different aspects of a sentence differently.
Anyway,
"I have yet to see"... the "have" and "yet" are the unique words that make up the sentence here. "Have" is used in the context with a present perfect tense. 'Present perfect' means 'any unfinished past or anything that has started but not ended'.
"I am yet to see"... the "am" and "yet" here is used for a future tense. 'Future tenses' refers to actions that have not started yet, or something that is to be done in the future.
Illustration:
I have yet to see a stupid person. (Translation: I have already begun searching for one, but until now, I have not seen one... yet).
I am yet to do my homework. (Translation: I have to do the homework, but have not started... yet).
Of coz, he claims this is the explanation he got from English teachers.
I was thinking, does this explanation mean that, the seeing of such threads has started but not finished? Ddoes his argument also mean that, "I have yet to go to England" imply that he has started going England, but not reached there?
Please share your thoughts
2012년 3월 30일 오후 5:18
답변 · 6
First, "I am yet to do my homework" is not correct. One would still say, "I have yet to do my homework."
Second, you may use the phrase "have yet to," but it will always sound more formal. I hear it often on a television show called "Downton Abbey." It takes place in England around 1910 to 1920, and the aristocrats speak very proper English. Perhaps it is still used more commonly in Great Britain; I don't know. I'm from the U.S., and we would not say it that way very often.
Examples:
"I have yet to see a stupid person" = "I haven't seen a stupid person." (The first sentence isn't the best English, so the second is also poor. What is really meant is "I have yet to meet a stupid person," and the updated version would then be, "I haven't met a stupid person.")
"I have yet to do my homework" = "I haven't done my homework (yet)."
"I have yet to go to England" = "I haven't gone to England." (This is also an odd example. We would prefer to say, "I haven't been to England" when we flip the sentence.)
The full understanding of most sentences, of course, is only known through context. In the homework example above, since the anticipation is that you still must do your homework, it is acceptable and even preferred to use "yet" again at the end of the sentence. The other two sentences rely on your intent.
If your sociology professor gives you an assignment to go out and find stupid people specifically and ask them questions, and if you've been trying for hours to find one, you might say, "I haven't met (or found or seen or talked to) a stupid person yet." The "yet" implies that you have been trying to accomplish the task, but it is still ongoing. However, if some loudmouth at a party comments that "People in general are stupid," you might respond, "Really? I haven't met a stupid person. All people have something to offer." No "yet" is needed because you aren't in an ongoing search for a stupid person.
2012년 3월 30일
The explanation is wrong. Present perfect does not refer to actions started but unfinished. That would be the present continuous.
The present perfect refers to time frames that have started but haven't finished. What happens, or doesn't happen, within this time frame is said in the present perfect.
I have yet to go to England.
The time frame here is "ever", or probably the persons life time. It could also be his summer holidays, which aren't over yet. In either case, he hasn't been to England yet within this time-frame.
yet to go = he hasn't even started out on his journey there
If he has already started out on his journey to England, he would say: "I have yet to arrive there."
2012년 3월 31일
I can see that you are a very diligent student, but actually you're overanalyzing this. "Have yet to X" and "be yet to X" have exactly the same meaning, and they both mean "haven't X yet."
I agree with Gena that "have yet to" is probably more common, but "be yet to" is also something we sometimes say in American English.
2012년 3월 30일
In America we would not use "I am yet to do my homework." I guess the meaning is "I am supposed to do my homework". We would say "I still have to do my homework...I haven't done it yet."
"I have yet to go to England" implies that he has not even started going to England yet. If he were on his way, he would say "I have not arrived in England yet, but I'm on my way.
2012년 3월 30일
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calvin_lau
언어 구사 능력
중국어(북경어), 중국어(광동어), 영어, 일본어, 스페인어
학습 언어
중국어(북경어), 영어, 일본어, 스페인어
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