Tuesday, January 24, 2017

meaning - 'of yet' and 'as of yet'



Can ‘of yet’ be used with the same meaning of ‘as of yet’? For example:





Most importantly, he’s found footprints of dinosaurs that we haven’t found bones of yet.




Does this mean the same thing as the following?




Most importantly, he's found footprints of dinosaurs that we haven't found bones as of yet?



Answer




The second of doesn't belong to yet but to dinosaurs. He has found dinosaur footprints, but we haven't found bones of those dinosaurs yet. Keeping closer to the given structure, but expressing it formally, you would say:




He's found footprints of dinosaurs of which we have not yet found bones.




So of yet is meaningless. And as as of yet is prolix and graceless, so avoid both and just say yet as tchrist tells you.


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