up to now

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Explanation of "Up to Now"

Meaning: The phrase "up to now" means "until the present moment" or "up until this point in time." It is often used to indicate a situation or action that has been ongoing and hasn't changed up to the present.

Usage Instructions:

• Context: Use "up to now" when you want to talk about something that has happened or been true from the past until now.
• Form: It is typically used in sentences to describe actions or situations that are still relevant or to indicate that something has not happened yet.

Examples:

1. Positive Statement: "I have completed five chapters of my book up to now." (This means that until this moment, you have finished five chapters.)
2. Negative Statement: "Up to now, I haven't received any news from him." (This means that until the present time, you have not received news.)

Advanced Usage:

• You can also use "up to now" in more complex sentences or in formal writing. For example: "The research has shown promising results up to now, but further studies are needed to confirm these findings."

Word Variants:

• The phrase can be replaced with similar phrases like "so far" or "until now," which have the same meaning.

Different Meanings:

• "Up to now" specifically refers to time and does not have different meanings in various contexts. However, it can imply that change is possible moving forward.

Synonyms:

• So far
• Until now
• To this point
• Up until now

Idioms and Phrasal Verbs:

• While "up to now" is a phrase rather than an idiom or a phrasal verb, you can use it in conjunction with other verbs, such as:
  • "Carry on" (to continue): "I will carry on with my studies up to now."
  • "Wait" (to pause): "I have been waiting up to now for a response."

Summary:

"Up to now" is a useful phrase to describe situations or actions that have occurred or been true from the past until the present moment. It helps convey a sense of continuity and can be used in both spoken and written English.

Academic

Adverb

1. prior to the present time
   • no suspect has been found to date
2. used in negative statement to describe a situation that has existed up to this point or up to the present time
   • So far he hasn't called
   • the sun isn't up yet

Synonyms

• to date
• so far
• thus far
• hitherto
• heretofore
• as yet
• yet
• til now
• until now