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Hoa Thai Posted 19 years ago
Grammar
but of
Hi,
Today, I ran across the following passage in The - by Amitav Ghosh:
“The crenellated ramparts were almost three storeys high, but of a soaring lightness, red in colour, and topped by ornamented gateways with seven-tiered roofs.”
Once in awhile, I come across ‘of X, but of Y’ construct such as: “Life isn’t a matter of milestones, but of moments” or “Climate change just not concern of scientists, but of all.” How should one interpret the use of but of in the above passage?
In addition, I was taught to use all the words I need to get my message across, but no more. The phrase “red in colour,” seems redundant for in colour unnecessarily repeats a meaning carried by red. To me, the repetition suggests that red is used elsewhere – which I could not find - with a meaning other than that of colour.
Any opinions?
Thanks in advance,
Hoa Thai
Today, I ran across the following passage in The - by Amitav Ghosh:
“The crenellated ramparts were almost three storeys high, but of a soaring lightness, red in colour, and topped by ornamented gateways with seven-tiered roofs.”
Once in awhile, I come across ‘of X, but of Y’ construct such as: “Life isn’t a matter of milestones, but of moments” or “Climate change just not concern of scientists, but of all.” How should one interpret the use of but of in the above passage?
In addition, I was taught to use all the words I need to get my message across, but no more. The phrase “red in colour,” seems redundant for in colour unnecessarily repeats a meaning carried by red. To me, the repetition suggests that red is used elsewhere – which I could not find - with a meaning other than that of colour.
Any opinions?
Thanks in advance,
Hoa Thai
Top answer
Hi Hoa Thai, I think this is a difficult question, because the sentence is quite poetic. However, here's my opinion: I think the author has used 'but of' with 'a soaring lightness' because we don't expect the ramparts to be light as they are three storeys high. In more normal language we could say 'despite being three storeys high, the ramparts appeared very light'.
- Hi Hoa Thai, I think this is a difficult question, because the sentence is quite poetic.
- However, here's my opinion: I think the author has used 'but of' with 'a soaring lightness' because we don't expect the ramparts to be light as they are three storeys high.
- In more normal language we could say 'despite being three storeys high, the ramparts appeared very light'.
- It's true that we are often taught not to use extra words, and 'red in colour' does violate this rule.
- I think maybe the author has used 'in colour' so that the phrase is longer and so balances better with the rest of the sentence.
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14 Answers
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Hi Hoa Thai,
I think this is a difficult question, because the sentence is quite poetic. However, here's my opinion:
I think the author has used 'but of' with 'a soaring lightness' because we don't expect the ramparts to be light as they are three storeys high. In more normal language we could say 'despite being three storeys high, the ramparts appeared very light'.
It's
I think this is a difficult question, because the sentence is quite poetic. However, here's my opinion:
I think the author has used 'but of' with 'a soaring lightness' because we don't expect the ramparts to be light as they are three storeys high. In more normal language we could say 'despite being three storeys high, the ramparts appeared very light'.
It's
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Hi Seonaid,
I interpreted the passage the same way you did. However, I still am not sure about the grammatical validity in using but of without its 'leading of ' companion. I still have much to learn; however, I wonder if the passage can be revised as follows:
“The crenellated ramparts were almost three storeys high yet a soaring lightness, red co
I interpreted the passage the same way you did. However, I still am not sure about the grammatical validity in using but of without its 'leading of ' companion. I still have much to learn; however, I wonder if the passage can be revised as follows:
“The crenellated ramparts were almost three storeys high yet a soaring lightness, red co
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Neeraj JainHere but of is referring to the ramparts.Hi Neeraj Jain,
Do you think it is all right to use but of without its 'leading of' companion? If so, I have not been able to find an online example that goes without the 'leading of', except 'but of course'. If you find one, please send me a note.
Thank you,
Hoa
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Hi Hoa Thai,
If you would like to change 'but' to 'yet' you can, but you need to keep the 'of'. I think maybe this is the answer - the 'of' goes with 'a soaring lightness', and 'but' is just 'but'.
So we could rephrase as: 'The crenellated ramparts were almost three storeys high, but very light'. We needed the 'of' make the noun 'lightness' describe the ramparts; when we u
If you would like to change 'but' to 'yet' you can, but you need to keep the 'of'. I think maybe this is the answer - the 'of' goes with 'a soaring lightness', and 'but' is just 'but'.
So we could rephrase as: 'The crenellated ramparts were almost three storeys high, but very light'. We needed the 'of' make the noun 'lightness' describe the ramparts; when we u
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Also, 'red covered' implies that there is something underneath of a different colour, so I don't think it fits well. Just 'red' is okay, or 'red in hue'.
Seonaid
Seonaid
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Hi Seonaid,
You are right! If I want to use yet in the place of but of, I must use adjectives.
I could not find in any dictionary the word soaringly. However, it is often used by movie commentators, including one from CNN, to modify an adjective. If such a possibly invented word has its place, could we revise the sentence as follows:
“T
You are right! If I want to use yet in the place of but of, I must use adjectives.
I could not find in any dictionary the word soaringly. However, it is often used by movie commentators, including one from CNN, to modify an adjective. If such a possibly invented word has its place, could we revise the sentence as follows:
“T
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Hi Hoa Thai,
Your revised sentence is perfect.
I found 'soaringly' in the full version of the Oxford English Dictionary.
I don't think in this case Ghosh broke any rules (though, of course, writers do). I think it's very difficult indeed to say when breaking rules is justified, there is always controversy, and in my opinion it depends if the version that doesn't follow t
Your revised sentence is perfect.
I found 'soaringly' in the full version of the Oxford English Dictionary.
I don't think in this case Ghosh broke any rules (though, of course, writers do). I think it's very difficult indeed to say when breaking rules is justified, there is always controversy, and in my opinion it depends if the version that doesn't follow t
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Hi Seonaid,
I hope you are still around. I think I understand Ghosh's message now and I really like to share my thought with you.
If we change his sentence to "The crenellated ramparts were almost three storeys high (,built not with an idea of immensity), but of a soaring lightness, red in colour, and topped by ornamented gateways with seven-ti
I hope you are still around. I think I understand Ghosh's message now and I really like to share my thought with you.
If we change his sentence to "The crenellated ramparts were almost three storeys high (,built not with an idea of immensity), but of a soaring lightness, red in colour, and topped by ornamented gateways with seven-ti
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I don't mean to dowse the enthusiasm on the topic. I think there are other threads available for profound discussion such as this one. This is a bit over-bearing for most learners to comprehend in my humble opinions.
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