Conjunctions omitted

Question

Why are conjunctions commonly omitted when the following word is an adverb?

And is it only acceptable in informal writing?

For example:

There isn't a garden as such, just a little vegetable patch

Instead of:

There isn't a garden as such, but just a little vegetable patch

Thanks

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

English 1b3,

Hello.

(1) I was very interested in your question.

(2) I have not found a specific rule, but I wish to share some of my findings.

(3) This seems to be a matter of ellipsis (when native speakers omit some words on purpose).

(4) There isn't a garden as such, just a little vegetable patch.

(a) This seems to be parenthetical. That is, some extra information added (or "appended").

(i) If you you use a dash instead of a comma, this shows more clearly:

There isn't a garden per se -- just a little vegetable patch.

(5) There isn't a garden as such, but just a little garden patch.

(a) Now your statement sounds and looks more like a clause because you have added a conjunction.

(i) Some people, in fact, would analyze "but" in that statement as a preposition with "just a little vegetable patch" as object.

(6) There isn't a garden per se, but there is just a little vegetable patch.

(a) Presumably, this is the "complete" sentence from which sentences #1 and #2 come from.

(i) We can clearly see that "but" is, indeed, being used as a conjunction.

*****

If we decided to make up our own "rule," perhaps it is something like this: the addition of the conjunction (or preposition?) makes the statement more formal, more like a "real" sentence -- not just some extra words that have been thrown in.

Thank you for your very thought-provoking question.

Conjunctions omitted

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