yesterday

/'jestədi/

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Word: Yesterday

Part of Speech: Adverb and Noun

Definition:

• As an adverb, "yesterday" refers to the day before today or a time very close to the present moment. For example, if today is Wednesday, then yesterday was Tuesday.
• As a noun, "yesterday" can mean the recent past or a time that has already passed. For instance, when we talk about "yesterday's news," we mean news that was relevant the day before.

Usage Instructions:

• Use "yesterday" when you want to talk about something that happened the day before today.
• You can also use it when referring to a time that is not too far back in the past.

Examples:

• Adverb: "I went to the park yesterday." (This means you went to the park the day before today.)
• Noun: "Yesterday was a great day!" (This means the day before today was enjoyable.)

Advanced Usage:

• In more advanced contexts, you might hear "yesterday" used metaphorically to refer to the past in a broader sense. For example, "Yesterday's solutions are not good enough" suggests that past methods or ideas may no longer be effective.

Word Variants:

• Yesterday's (possessive form) – This can refer to something belonging to or relevant to yesterday, such as "yesterday's events" or "yesterday's newspaper."

Different Meanings:

• "Yesterday" primarily refers to the day before today, but it can also represent a nostalgic feeling or an idea of past experiences in phrases like "the yesterdays of our youth."

Synonyms:

• Past
• The day before
• Former times

Idioms and Phrasal Verbs:

• "I wasn't born yesterday!" – This idiom means that someone is not naive or easily fooled; they are aware of what is happening.
• There are no common phrasal verbs that use "yesterday" directly, but phrases like "put yesterday behind" imply moving on from the past.

Summary:

"Yesterday" is a simple yet important word in English that helps us talk about the time just before today.

Academic

Adverb

1. in the recent past; only a short time ago
   • I was not born yesterday!
2. on the day preceding today
   • yesterday the weather was beautiful

Noun

1. the recent past
   • yesterday's solutions are not good enough
   • we shared many yesterdays
2. the day immediately before today
   • it was in yesterday's newspapers