Faith: Hi John! What are you thinking about for a lesson today?
John: Hi Faith! I was thinking about verbs, but then I realized there was a much more exciting subject....
John: The word “but”
Faith: It’s a small, common word...
John: But it adds excitement and contrast to sentences. We often use “but” to connect two clauses, or groups of words that have a subject and a predicate.
Consider these lines from “The Diamond as Big as the Ritz,” by F Scott Fitzgerald.
"John strained his eyes to see whether there might be men coming down the mountain, but the mountain was bare of human life."
Faith: The first clause starts with “John strained his eyes...” and the second clause starts with “but the mountain....”
John: The first part of the sentence suggests an effort – straining of the eyes. The second part of the sentence suggests that the effort was to no use – John did not see anyone.
Faith: Pay careful attention to how speakers and writers use the word “but.” Remember: it is a small, common word...
John: ...but an important one!
Let's end with a quiz: Join these two clauses:
I hoped it would be sunny today.
It was rainy.
Faith: Pause the video to consider your answer.
John: Here is one possible answer:
I hoped it would be sunny today, but it was rainy.
And that’s Everyday Grammar TV.
Originally published at https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a...