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1.
general.
But is a preposition and conjunction, and is used contrastively: (preposition) Everyone seems to know but me / (conjunction) Everyone seems to know but I don't. In more modern usage, as the Old English (up to 1150)D and Fowler (1926) have both recognized, the roles of but as a conjunction and preposition have become inextricably confused, and this fact gives rise to some vexed problems of usage. These are described in the following paragraphs, each headed by a typical example of the problem.

2. Everyone but she [or her?] can see the answer. Fowler explored this problem in some depth, and concluded that but in this meaning is more a conjunction than a preposition, and therefore the case of a following pronoun is variable. When the phrase introduced by but is associated with the subject of the sentence, the pronoun should be treated as subjective (i.e. No one saw him but I) and when the phrase is associated with the object, the pronoun should be treated as objective (i.e. I saw no one but him). When the association is not as clear-cut as this, the case of the pronoun is determined by the position of the but-phrase in the sentence: when the but-phrase is in the subject area, the pronoun should be treated as subjective (i.e. Everyone but she can see the answer) and when the but-phrase is in the object area it should be treated as objective (i.e. Everyone can see the answer but her). Usage is unstable when the verb is intransitive: Everyone knows but her is somewhat more natural than Everyone knows but she).

3. I disagree. But what do you think? The widespread public belief that but should not begin a sentence seems to be unshakeable. But it has no foundation in grammar or idiom, and examples are frequent in good literature:

All animals have sense. But a dog is an animal.—Locke, 1690

But this rough magic I here abjure—Shakespeare, Tempest, 1610

Of course they loved her, the two remaining ones, they hugged her, they had mingled their tears. But they could not converse with her—Iris Murdoch, 1993.

The initial position of but, as with and, is a matter not of grammar but of style.

4. Who knows but that the whole course of history might [or might not?] have been different? When this construction is used with a negative or (especially) in a question, there is always a temptation to make the second part of the sentence negative. It is usually better to rephrase: Who knows: the whole course of history might have been different?

5. But your answer, moreover, is unacceptable. A further contrasting word, such as however, nonetheless, moreover, etc., should not be used in a clause introduced by but. If the second word is needed (i.e. if moreover is the right word to use), omit but: Your answer, moreover, is unacceptable. Note, however, that but still is a standard idiom, especially informally: It's late but still you did want me to stay.

6. He is not upset but he is relieved. The repetition of he is, when this is the same person as at the first mention, is normally redundant: He is not upset but relieved. However, it is often added in conversation, with rhetorical emphasis on the second is.

7.
idioms.
But is used in a number of fixed idioms:

• all but. By the end of the war this attitude had all but disappeared—P. Wright, 1987.
• cannot (help) but. The insertion of help is not attested before the late 19th century but is now common: The frailty of man without thee cannot but fall—Book of Common Prayer, 1549 / She could not help but plague the lad—H. Caine, 1894 / She could not help but follow him into the big department store—B. Rubens, 1987.
• but what. It's no telling but what I might have gone on to school like my own children have—Lee Smith, 1983 (US). This use is now old-fashioned, and limited to informal and non-standard uses.
• rhetorical use. Ah, but who built it, that we tiny creatures can walk in its arcades?—Margaret Drabble, 1987. This use is not normally found in everyday English.

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adverb

To the exclusion of anyone or anything else: alone, entirely, exclusively, only, solely. See include/exclude.

Idioms beginning with but:
but for
but good
butter
butter up
butt in
button
buttonhole someone
button one's lip

See also all but; all over but the shouting; anything but; can't help but; close but no cigar; everything but the kitchen sink; it never rains but it pours; last but not least; no ifs or buts; nothing but; sadder but wiser; separate but equal; slow but sure; spirit is willing but the flesh is weak; there but for the grace of god.

The pits on a rifle range.

IN BRIEF: adv. - And nothing more.

We've learned how to destroy, but not to create; how to waste, but not to build; how to kill men, but not how to save them; how to die, but seldom how to live. — Omar Nelson Bradley

Tutor's tip: The group on the "butte" (small steep mountain with a flat top) made him the "butt" (laughing stock) of their jokes, "but" (except that) he did not laugh.

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For a list of words related to but, see:

• Conjunctions
• Prepositions
• Limitations and Conditions

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See words rhyming with "but."

  See crossword solutions for the clue But.

Dansk (Danish)
prep. - undtagen, bortset fra
conj. - men
adv. - kun, blot
n. - men

idioms:

• but for    havde det ikke været for
• no buts    ikke noget men

Nederlands (Dutch)
maar, behalve, echter, slechts, helemaal, die/dat niet, bezwaar(maken)

Français (French)
prep. - excepté, sauf, sinon
conj. - mais, cependant
adv. - si seulement, juste, seulement, ne que
n. - mais (qui tienne)

idioms:

• but for    mais à propos de, sans (cela)
• no buts    il n'y a pas de mais qui tienne

Deutsch (German)
prep. - außer
conj. - aber, sondern, ohne daß
adv. - nur, erst
n. - Aber

idioms:

• but for    wenn nicht... gewesen wäre, dann..., bis auf
• no buts    keine Widerrede

Ελληνική (Greek)
prep. - εκτός (από), πλην (του)
conj. - αλλά (όμως), μα, μόνο (και μόνο), εκτός αν
adv. - παρά, μα
n. - (το) αλλά, ο λόγος εναντίωσης

idioms:

• but for    έτσι κι έλειπε ο, ας μην ήταν ο
• no buts    δεν θέλω αντιρρήσεις

Italiano (Italian)
tranne, fuorché, ma, però

idioms:

• but for    salvo per
• ifs and buts    obiezioni, ostacoli
• no buts    senza ma

Português (Portuguese)
prep. - exceto
conj. - mas
adv. - somente
n. - objeção (f)

idioms:

• but for    sem
• ifs and buts    desculpas (gír.)
• no buts    não há dúvidas

Русский (Russian)
но, однако

idioms:

• but for    если бы не
• ifs and buts    оговорки
• no buts    никаких "но"

Español (Spanish)
prep. - excepto, sino, sino que, fuera de, menos, más que
conj. - pero, empero, más, que no, sin que, menos de, dejar de
adv. - sólo, no más que, solamente
n. - pero

idioms:

• but for    a no ser por
• no buts    no hay peros que valgan

Svenska (Swedish)
prep. - utom, mer än, annat än
conj. - men, utan, dock
adv. - bara, blott, endast
n. - men, aber

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
除...以外, 但是, 可是, 然而, 而是, 只, 才, 仅仅, 肯定地, 绝对地, 异议

idioms:

• but for    要不是
• no buts    别说"但是但是"了

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
prep. - 除...以外
conj. - 但是, 可是, 然而, 而是
adv. - 只, 才, 僅僅, 肯定地, 絕對地
n. - 但是, 異議

idioms:

• but for    要不是
• no buts    別說"但是但是"了

한국어 (Korean)
prep. - ~을 제외하고
conj. - 그러나, ~을 제외하고는, ~이 아닌 것 같은
adv. - 겨우
n. - 그러나

idioms:

• but for    ~이 없다면

日本語 (Japanese)
adv. - ほんの
prep. - …以外は
n. - 異議
conj. - だが, しかし, 必ず…する, 除いて, …でない

idioms:

• all but    ほとんど, 除いて皆
• but for    …がなかったなら, 別にすれば
• in all but name    事実上
• no buts    言い訳しない
• none but    ～以外は誰も～ない, ただ～だけ
• shaken but not stirred    振るだけでかき混ぜないマティーニ
• slowly but surely    ゆっくり確実に

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(حرف جر) ما عدا, سوى (حرف عطف) لكن, و لكن, غير ان, انما (ظرف) لو ان (الاسم) احتجاج‏

עברית (Hebrew)
prep. - ‮חוץ מ-, רק‬
conj. - ‮אבל, אך, אלא, כי-אם, בלא ש-, מבלי ש-, ברם, חוץ מ-, שלא-, להפך, פרט ל-, למרות ש-, עם זאת‬
adv. - ‮חוץ מ-, למרות ש-‬
n. - ‮חדר חיצון, סתירה, ניגוד‬

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