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Teo Posted 19 years ago
Grammar

BUT: negative relative pronoun

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/but
7.who not; that not: No leaders worthy of the name ever existed but they were optimists.


I think the above sentence means "No leaders worthy of the name ever existed who were not optimists." So the word they is redundant. Am I right?
  

Top answer

No, IMO the reading is closer to: No truly optimist leaders ever existed but they WERE at least to some extent optimists. or: No leaders worthy of the optimist name ever existed but they WERE at least to some extent optimists. The accent is on were and one cannot get rid of they .

— Marius Hancu

  • No, IMO the reading is closer to: No truly optimist leaders ever existed but they WERE at least to some extent optimists.
  • or: No leaders worthy of the optimist name ever existed but they WERE at least to some extent optimists.
  • The accent is on were and one cannot get rid of they .
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1 Answers
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No, IMO the reading is closer to:

No truly optimist leaders ever existed but they WERE at least to some extent optimists.

or:

No leaders worthy of the optimist name ever existed but they WERE at least to some extent optimists.

The accent is on were and one cannot get rid of they.

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