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Abil Posted 17 years ago
Grammar
All but ran
Abraham arrived in a rush, and all but ran to Vasco's tomb.
What did the writer mean by "all but ran"? Slowly?
What did the writer mean by "all but ran"? Slowly?
Top answer
It means he was walking so quickly he was almost running.
- It means he was walking so quickly he was almost running.
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5 Answers
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Abilall but ranall but [verb ...] = did not [verb ...], but did something that came very close to it. Used only with dynamic verbs.
all but laughed in his face
all but danced with joy at the news
all but condemned the boys for the prank
CJ
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Supplementary questions:
1. When it is said "the situation is all but normal", what does it mean -- "not normal" or "almost normal"?
2. Does "anything but" and "all but" mean the same thing, as in "the situation is anything but normal"?
1. When it is said "the situation is all but normal", what does it mean -- "not normal" or "almost normal"?
2. Does "anything but" and "all but" mean the same thing, as in "the situation is anything but normal"?
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AbilWhen it is said "the situation is all but normal", what does it mean -- "not normal" or "almost normal"?Both! As explained above, all but means not, but almost. So you could say that "all but normal" means "normal for all practical purposes, but perhaps not completely normal" or "there may be a few things that are not normal,
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