"anything but" phrase

Question

Hi everyone,I have a question I'd like to ask. Before I go any further, in full disclosure I should add that english isn't my first language, and that is why I may come across difficulty with some meanings. I hope someone can correct my understanding of a sentence.Just a while ago, I read the following sentence:I had been anything but NICE to you in our encounters. In the sentence, did the person who wrote that mean that he was nice, or that he wasn't? I'm thinking it was the latter, he wasn't nice. Like I said, english is not my first language, and at times I have trouble grasping some meanings.thank you to whomever helps me understand,tysteel

Usenet · Accepted Answer

If I said that, I'd be admitting that I'd treated you lousy - or lousily- and was offering an apology.
Your English reads fine, by the way.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Hi everyone, I have a question I'd like to ask. Before I go any further, in full disclosure I ... my first language, and at times I have trouble grasping some meanings. thank you to whomever helps me understand, tysteel[/nq]
The latter is correct. If he had been nice he would have said "I had been nothing but nice".

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Hi everyone, I have a question I'd like to ask. Before I go any further, in full disclosure I should add that english isn't my first language, and that is why I may come across difficulty with some meanings.[/nq]
Your English is excellent. We do capitalize "English", though.
[nq:1]I hope someone can correct my understanding of a sentence.[/nq]
Your understanding would be corrected only if it was wrong. If you do not understand the sentence, then you are asking help in understand the sentence.
[nq:1]Just a while ago, I read the following sentence: I had been anything but NICE to you in our encounters. In the sentence, did the person who wrote that mean that he was nice, or that he wasn't?[/nq]
The person meant that he was not nice.

Tony Cooper
Orlando, FL

Usenet · Answer

On 29 May 2007 14:13:19 -0700, Flying Tortoise
[nq:2]Hi everyone, I have a question I'd like to ask. ... grasping some meanings. thank you to whomever helps me understand,[/nq]
to whoever helps me understand.
Whoxever is the subject of helps, and needs a word in the nominative case, like who, not whom.
There are there reasons one might have said what you did.
1) He didn't know the rule I give above.
2) He's like the people who feel that "me" is never the right word, sothey use "I" even where "me" belongs. These are closely related to the people who used "me" where "I" belonged in grammar school, and got corrected for that all the time. So they've gone to the opposite extreme by using "I" all the time.

3) He's learned English by listening to the people in number 2.

Don't be lik
[nq:2]tysteel[/nq]
[nq:1]The latter is correct. If he had been nice he would have said "I had been nothing but nice".[/nq]
Exactly.
But I can imagine the speaker getting it backwards. We'd have to know what else he said to know if he was wrong like that.

If you are inclined to email me
for some reason, remove NOPSAM :-)

Usenet · Answer

On May 29, 2:13=EF=BF=BDpm, Flying Tortoise wro= te:
[nq:2]Hi everyone, I have a question I'd like to ask. ... some meanings. thank you =A0to whomever helps me understand, tysteel[/nq]
[nq:1]The latter is correct. If he had been nice he would have said "I had been nothing but nice".- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text -[/nq]
Thank you all very much for your replies in my help with English. Very helpful.
I was curious though. If the original sentence had read this way:
I haven't been anything but NICE to you in our encounters
Wouldn't adding the negative haven't in the sentence then indicate that the person saying this had been nice? I would think so. I think my understanding is getting better
On something similar, if someone had asked:

Haven't I been anything but nice to you?

Would that indicate that the person asking the question feels that he was nice, and is simply asking the other party to confirm that? I think so? I guess it would mean the same thing as also asking, "Have I beeen anything but nice to you?"
thank you for all the help with my English.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]to whoever helps me understand. Whoxever is the subject of helps, and needs a word in the nominative case, like ... using "I" all the time. 3) He's learned English by listening to the people in number 2. Don't be lik[/nq]
[nq:2]The latter is correct. If he had been nice he would have said "I had been nothing but nice".[/nq]
[nq:1]Exactly. But I can imagine the speaker getting it backwards. We'd have to know what else he said to know if he was wrong like that. If you are inclined to email me for some reason, remove NOPSAM :-)[/nq]
To I, none of this matters.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]I was curious though. If the original sentence had read this way: I haven't been anything but NICE ... that the person saying this had been nice? I would think so. I think my understanding is getting better[/nq]
Technically it would but it's very unlikely that you would ever see it expressed in that way. As I said, the negative is achieved by changing 'anything' to 'nothing'.
[nq:1]On something similar, if someone had asked: Haven't I been anything but nice to you? Would that indicate ... I guess it would mean the same thing as also asking, "Have I beeen anything but nice to you?"[/nq]
Very unlikely that anyone would use that construction. If you were asking for confirmation (ie. expecting the answer "Yes") you'd say ..

"Haven't I always been nice to you?"
If you were looking for confirmation by negation (ie. expecting the answer "No") you'd say ...
"Have I ever been anything but nice to you?"

Usenet · Answer

On May 30, 8:50=EF=BF=BDam, Flying Tortoise wro= te:

Thank you for the reply. But I am confused on the last example.

When asking, "Have I ever been anything BUT nice to you?"

That means that the person asking the question was not nice, correct? Just wanting to see if I understand. If he had been nice I guess he'd ask, "Have I ever been NOTHING but nice to you?" ???

I guess it would be the same as, "Has he ever been anything but a bad worker?" which I suppose means that the person who is asking thinks that the other person is a bad worker.
thanks,
tysteel

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Thank you for the reply. But I am confused on the last example. When asking, "Have I ever been anything ... If he had been nice I guess he'd ask, "Have I ever been NOTHING but nice to you?" ???[/nq]
No. In this form the question is the same as "Have I ever been anything other than nice?" which, as I have always been nice, I'm expecting you to say "No" to. "Nothing but" would not be used in a question (or at least I can't think of any way to do it!)
[nq:1]I guess it would be the same as, "Has he ever been anything but a bad worker?" which I suppose means that the person who is asking thinks that the other person is a bad worker.[/nq]
Yes, that's right! (It is the opposite of what you originally said!) :c)

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]I was curious though. If the original sentence had ... think so. I think my understanding is getting better[/nq]
Be careful - adding the "n't" does not always make the opposite meaning, even though it seems logical that it should.
"Would you like to go to the park?"
"Wouldn't you like to go to the park?"
Both of these will be answered with "yes" if the person wants to go to the park. Some might hesitate a bit at the second one. Your example is an uncommon construction and would likely be misunderstood by many.

Richard Yates

"anything but" phrase

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