but
but — conjunction
1. a joining word that introduces a second idea which the listener would not expect
a joining word that introduces a second idea which the listener would not expect after the first — often a contrasting fact, a small exception, or a polite apology before bad news.
Marcus loves swimming, but he is afraid of deep water.
links two contrasting facts about the same person
The cake looked beautiful, but it tasted a bit too sweet.
joins a positive observation with a negative one
I knocked on Lina's door for almost a minute, but nobody answered.
Sorry to bother you, Mr. Tanaka, but could I borrow your blue pen for the form?
It was raining hard, but the children still wanted to play in the garden.
文法句型
clause + but + clause
用法筆記
Often opens a sentence in speech and informal writing ("But why not?"). When it joins two full clauses, a comma usually goes before "but". Distinguish from preposition sense (preposition/1) which means "except" and is followed by a noun, not a clause.
常見錯誤
but — preposition
1. used to mark the one person, thing, or place left out of a wider group — close i
used to mark the one person, thing, or place left out of a wider group — close in meaning to "apart from" or "other than", and almost always paired with words like "everyone", "nothing", or "every".
Everyone but Carlos came to the wedding rehearsal on Friday.
everyone but + person — Carlos is the only one missing
The little girl ate nothing but rice and pickles for three days.
nothing but + noun — emphasizes the only thing eaten
Every shop on Maple Street but the corner bakery was closed last Sunday morning.
Maya could remember every detail of the robbery but the tall man's name.
Our family has tried every restaurant in town but the new Thai place near the park.
- except
the most neutral exact equivalent
- apart from
common in British English; slightly more formal feel
- other than
often used after negatives or questions
- including
adds the named item rather than leaving it out
文法句型
everyone/anything/nothing + but + noun
用法筆記
Almost always follows a word like "everyone", "anything", "nothing", "no one", "nowhere", or "every + noun". Distinguish from conjunction sense (conjunction/1): here "but" is followed by a noun phrase, not a clause, and shows exception, not contrast.
常見錯誤
but — noun
1. an excuse, objection, or hesitation that someone offers when told to do somethin
an excuse, objection, or hesitation that someone offers when told to do something — the word almost always appears in the plural inside fixed phrases like "no buts", which a parent, teacher, or boss uses to refuse all such excuses.
No buts, Tommy — finish your vegetables before you leave the table.
no buts — refusing to listen to excuses
I want the report on my desk by Friday, and I will hear no buts about it.
The coach told the players there would be no ifs, ands, or buts about the new training schedule.
Dad cut off Sammy's ifs and buts about bedtime and marched him straight upstairs to brush his teeth.
- agreement
accepting without raising objections
文法句型
no buts
ifs and buts
用法筆記
Almost always plural and inside fixed phrases such as "no buts", "no ifs and buts", or "no ifs, ands, or buts". A bare singular "a but" is very rare. Most natural in spoken commands from parents, teachers, coaches, or bosses.
常見錯誤
but — adverb
1. placed between a word like "any", "anyone", or "anything" and a repeat of the sa
placed between a word like "any", "anyone", or "anything" and a repeat of the same word, to stress that absolutely no exception is being allowed.
Any student but any student caught cheating will fail the exam.
any + but + any — stresses no exception at all
Anyone but anyone in the village would have helped Grandma carry the heavy basket home.
anyone + but + anyone — emphatic "absolutely anyone"
Anything but anything — a falling leaf, a passing cat — could set off the old guard dog at the farm gate.
Mention the missing money to anyone but anyone in the office, and our quiet plan will fall apart.
- absolutely
common everyday emphasizer; no repetition needed
- literally
informal stress word; not the same fixed pattern
文法句型
any/anyone/anything + but + repeated word
用法筆記
Frequently formal, rhetorical, or written; rare in everyday speech, where a repeated word with stress ("ANYONE") does the same job. The structure must repeat the same indefinite word on both sides of "but".
常見錯誤
2. no more than the small amount, number, or thing that follows; close in meaning t
no more than the small amount, number, or thing that follows; close in meaning to "only" or "just", and used to make the size or extent sound small.
The injured climber was but a few steps from safety when she slipped on the icy ledge.
but + number phrase — stresses how small the distance was
Sarah was but a child when her family moved from Taipei to Vancouver.
but + a + noun — stresses youth or smallness
We have but ten minutes left before the last train leaves the station.
The village library holds but a handful of old maps, yet scholars travel hundreds of miles to study them.
- many
stresses a large rather than small amount
文法句型
but + number/noun phrase
用法筆記
Formal or literary; common in older texts, news headlines, and elevated prose. In everyday English, prefer "only" or "just". Distinguish from adverb/1: this sense is not part of an emphatic "X but X" repetition; it stands alone before a number or short noun phrase.