The conjunction 'But' as in "I love you, but" must be considered a candidate for most vile word in the English vernacular. Look at it. Examine it. It's ugly as hell. Yet, many people can't live without it.
Grammatically, it starts sentences off, is the saviour to novice or disinterested writers and is often used to connect a run-on phrases. But it's - did I just use it? - in the way we use the word in contemporary times that makes it downright offensive.
'But' is the 'notwithstanding clause' or 'opt-out clause' of words. We use it to escape or dance around an issue. We reserve the right to make one eye-catching statement only to gun it down with a 'but.' "We want democracy but we want the veto and the but!"
We usually resort to it in contempt of some point we're trying to make. "Terrorists are crazy but we helped make them that way...*", "My wife is a great cook but my mother is far better", "I'm unemployed but it's the government's fault." "Canada is a great country but...(you fill in the blanks)", "America is a great country but..." But, but, but NOTHING.
Can it be the word mirrors a mirage? Is it in fact the tramp of all words? If we use it in excess what does that make us?
This blog could have been better but my authority on the English language is not up to standards.
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