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But / And

online pharmacy isotretinoin The individual personality reveals itself in the tiniest of things.  One of the most interesting is the word “but.”  Like all the adversatives (however, although, nonetheless, etc.) it implies some kind of opposition.  It is most interesting to see where people think there is an opposition, and wherever they use the word “but” you may see it.  Let me provide the example that set me thinking in this way:

Kielce “Thai TV is so melodramatic it would put American daytime TV to shame, but the Lao just eat it up.” – Brett Dakin, from his book Another Quiet American.

I would say “and” here.  Of course people love melodrama.  That’s why we have it.  But a man of sophisticated tastes, with a love for nuance and refinement, finds repugnance in precisely what attracts others.  (Or should I say and?)

A wonderful fact to add is that the Greek word de may mean either “and” or “but” – it can include the adversative idea, but not necessarily.

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  1. […] implied by words like “despite” or “but” are entirely in the mind of the observer, and depend on some kind of presupposition.  This is one of the reasons why reading the newspaper, […]

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