still
A1Universal across all registers, from technical to everyday.
Definition
Meaning
A state of absence of motion or sound; remaining as before; up to and including the present time.
Can refer to calmness, quiet, a photograph, a distilling apparatus, or a continuative/contrastive sense in discourse.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The adjective 'still' (motionless) is not gradable (*very still). The adverb 'still' (up to now) is a time adjunct and can carry a nuance of surprise or contrast when an event or state is ongoing. As a noun, it has specialized meanings (photo, distillery equipment).
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minor spelling in compounds: 'still life' is universal. The noun 'still' for a photograph is more common in film/TV context in both. No major syntactic or semantic divergence.
Connotations
Similar core connotations of quiet, calm, and continuation.
Frequency
Equally high-frequency in both varieties.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
NP be stillNP keep/stay stillNP still VP (continuative)S (contrastive) but NP still VPVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Still waters run deep”
- “The still of the night”
- “Hold still”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used to indicate ongoing projects or unmet conditions: 'The figures are still being audited.'
Academic
Used to indicate a persistent phenomenon or a contrastive point: 'The theory still holds merit despite recent challenges.'
Everyday
Ubiquitous for describing lack of movement or continuation: 'Can you sit still?' 'Is he still at work?'
Technical
In photography/film: 'a still from the movie'. In engineering: 'a still for distilling spirits'.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The wind stilled as the storm passed.
- A good brandy is stilled in copper pots.
American English
- He stilled the crowd with a raised hand.
- They still moonshine in the hills.
adverb
British English
- I still haven't received the parcel.
- It's raining? I'm still going for a walk.
American English
- Do you still live on Maple Street?
- He's over eighty but still runs every day.
adjective
British English
- Please keep still for the photograph.
- The still air before a thunderstorm is eerie.
American English
- The lake was glassy and still at dawn.
- Hold the camera still to avoid blur.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The cat sat still on the wall.
- My brother is still at school.
- The water is very still.
- Wait here and stay still until I return.
- She still hasn't replied to my email from last week.
- Despite the argument, they are still friends.
- The government still faces significant opposition to its new policy.
- In the still of the early morning, you could hear the birds beginning to sing.
- The figure in the photograph remained perfectly still, almost statue-like.
- Criticisms notwithstanding, the author's seminal work is still regarded as a cornerstone of the field.
- He managed to still the rising panic within him by focusing on his breathing.
- The director examined a grainy still from the security footage to identify the suspect.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a STILL lake with no movement. The double 'LL' in the middle can look like two posts standing STILL.
Conceptual Metaphor
TIME IS SPACE (STILL = a point in time that persists); CALMNESS IS LACK OF MOTION.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse adverbial 'still' with 'yet' in negative contexts. Russian 'еще' maps to 'still' in positives ('Я еще здесь' = I'm still here) but to 'yet' in questions/negatives ('Ты еще не сделал?' = Haven't you done it yet?). 'Still' as an adjective ('still water') is not 'тихий' but 'неподвижный' for objects, 'спокойный' for people/water.
Common Mistakes
- *'I am still not knowing' (incorrect progressive with stative verb) -> 'I still don't know'. Placing 'still' at the end of a sentence is often unnatural in affirmative statements (*'I live here still').
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence is 'still' used as an adjective?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Still' emphasizes the continuation of a situation, usually in positive statements and questions ('I'm still waiting'). 'Yet' asks if something expected has happened or states it hasn't, used in questions and negatives ('Has it arrived yet?' 'It hasn't finished yet').
Rarely in standard modern English. It's usually placed before the main verb (after 'be'). 'I am here still' is archaic or poetic. The typical position is mid-sentence: 'I still am here' or 'I am still here'.
No, it's neutral and used in all registers, from casual conversation to formal academic writing. Its meaning and usage remain consistent across contexts.
Use 'still' in the second clause to show an action persists despite a contrary fact. Structure: '[Contrasting fact], but [subject] still [action].' Example: 'It was raining heavily, but they still went for a hike.'
Collections
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Common Questions
A1 · 31 words · Question words and phrases for basic communication.