How To Use 'But' Correctly In English

source: Twominute English     2014年1月30日
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0:13 Hey viewers! Good to see you here!
0:15 I hope you are having fun learning English with us.
0:18 Today we are going to learn how to use a linking word. And the word is ‘but’.
0:23 You might already be using it in your conversations.
0:26 Now it’s time to learn all about it so you can use it without making a mistake.
0:31 Listen to the lesson carefully, and make sure you repeat the phrases to improve your pronunciation.
0:38 At the end we’ll tell you about some words from this lesson.
0:41 so make sure you watch this lesson until the end.
0:45 Let’s get started!
0:54 Hey everybody!
0:54 Today we are going to talk about the correct use of the linking word ‘but’ in English conversations.
1:01 Hello guys! Yeah! I use it a lot you know?
1:04 It’s a very popular linking word, but if you are new to learning the language, you might make a mistake while using it.
1:09 So it’s best to learn how it’s used.
1:12 That’s correct! You’re already using ‘but’, Karen.
1:16‘But’, is used to link two different ideas together.
1:20 Right Keith. It’s a word that links two sentences with contrasting ideas and makes them a single sentence.
1:26 For example, you are old but you are healthy!
1:29 What? I am not old Karen, but the use is correct!
1:35 ‘You are old’ is one sentence, and ‘you are healthy’ is another sentence
1:40 When you link these sentences with ‘but’, you are pointing out the fact that there’s a contrast between the two ideas.
1:46 Old people aren’t always healthy.
1:49 Yeah, ‘but’ is used to point out the exceptions. Here’s some examples:
1:53 I don’t like vegetables but I like corn. I am young but I am wise
1:59 Great. Funny karen! But you're right again.
2:02 You are young which makes you unexperienced but you have wisdom that comes from experience and learning.
2:10 So it’s a contrasting idea. Good work there!
2:13 I told ya I am wise! So it’s a very easy concept to grasp, isn’t it?
2:18 Use ‘but’ to link two sentences with different ideas. Why don’t you give me a few examples, Keith?
2:23 Sure Karen! You are nerdy but you are cute; I don’t exercise but I am strong;
2:31 I don’t like vegetables but I like corn; I wake up early every day but I sleep late on Sundays.
2:40 Thank you Keith. Let’s listen to some conversations now.
2:50 Let’s order something. I’m starving!
2:52 So am I! What would you like to have?
2:55 I can eat anything but a sandwich
2:57 Why? What’s wrong with a sandwich?
3:00 Sweetie, I’ve been eating nothing but sandwiches all week. If I see another sandwich, I’ll puke.
3:11 Did you pack all the things I asked you to?
3:13 Yes I did but I haven’t packed your sandals.
3:16 Why not? I’ll need my sandals at the beach.
3:20 These are the dirtiest sandals I’ve seen. I am not packing them if you don’t wash them first.
3:25 But they’ll become wet, and then they’ll make everything else wet.
3:28 I’ll pack them in a plastic bag, so get to work now Nathan.
3:38 Did you check the laundry bucket thoroughly?
3:40 Yes, I did! I got nothing but a pair of old socks.
3:44 I don’t know where I left my wallet.
3:46 Are you sure you had it when you got home?
3:49 Yeah I am. I paid the cabbie when I got home.
3:51 So you brought the wallet home, but now it’s not here.
3:55 I’ve looked everywhere but the washroom. I am gonna check there.
4:08 When something is an exception, it doesn’t conform to an existing pattern or rule.
4:13 For example, a black swan is an exception, because swans are usually white.
4:23 To puke or to throw up is to vomit.
4:26 You might puke if you eat something that makes you ill, or if you drink too much.
4:37 Starving means to suffer from hunger.
4:39 It’s a very strong word and it’s used to talk about situations in which a person has to go without food for a very long time.
4:46 When somebody dies of hunger, they are said to have starved to death.
4:50 In casual conversations, we can say ‘I am starving’ to mean that we are very hungry.
5:01 To do something thoroughly is to do it completely.
5:04 To leave no detail unchecked, to make sure that no part of it is missing.
5:14 A wallet is commonly a small bag that used to keep things like money, credit cards etc.
5:20 People carry around wallets in their pockets or their handbags.
5:28 A cabbie is a cab driver or a taxi driver.
5:34 Thank you for watching this lesson. I hope you enjoyed it!
5:37 We’ll be back with a new one tomorrow. Make sure you come back and watch it!
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5:50 Got a question? Let us know… We love to help!
5:53 See you in the next lesson!

# Relevant grammar videos: transitions for expressing contrast & comparison