Still and Unless - March 12, 2025

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1. 0:01This week on Ask a Teacher,
2. 0:04we answer a question from Yusef in Egypt about the words still and unless.
3. 0:15Dear VOA Learning English,
4. 0:18When the word still is the first word in sentences, I am not sure what it can mean.
5. 0:27Can you explain about this?
6. 0:31Also, can you explain about the word unless?
7. 0:37Thank you. I'm happy to answer your questions, Yousef.
8. 0:43When the word still is used at the beginning of a sentence,
9. 0:49It has a different meaning than the usual ones it has as an adverb.
10. 0:58As an adverb, still can describe an action that began in the past
11. 1:06and continues into the present.
12. 1:10For example, The store is still open.
13. 1:16She still does not have enough money to buy a car.
14. 1:20But, when still begins a sentence, it has a similar meaning to the word however.
15. 1:30Using it suggests the sentence will offer something different from,
16. 1:36or surprising, compared to the sentence or paragraph that came before it.
17. 1:44Consider the following examples.
18. 1:47He earns much less money in his new job.
19. 1:51Still, he has more than enough money to pay his bills.
20. 1:56The country's economy has been very weak in recent years.
21. 2:00Still, many foreign companies plan to invest there.
22. 2:05Unless The online version
23. 2:09of Oxford's Learner's Dictionary gives the following two definitions for the word UNLESS.
24. 2:181. That something can only happen or be true in a particular situation.
25. 2:262. The only situation in which something will not happen or be true.
26. 2:34So, the word unless means something can happen only if something else is
27. 2:42or is not the case.
28. 2:46For example We will eat outside unless it rains.
29. 2:53Unless the situation at the company improves, many employees might quit their jobs.
30. 2:58For English learners, some expressions can seem very difficult to understand.
31. 3:08Still, you can study them by carefully looking at examples and finding answers to your questions.
32. 3:19For our readers and listeners, what are your questions about American English?
33. 3:25English. We want to hear from you.
34. 3:29Send us an email at learningenglish .com.
35. 3:36And please let us know where you are from, too.
36. 3:42And that's Ask a Teacher.
37. 3:45I'm Andrew Smith.