Preposition

Question

From my understanding preposition is used to express the relationship,

A word "but" we usually using as a conjunction, but in the following sentence "but" is used as a preposition, adverb, and conjunction. can any experts help me to understand how "but" word act like a preposition,adverb and conjunction in a sentence.

He didn't tell anyone but his lawyer.
We have but one week to meet the deadline.
You are not only my best friend but also my business partner.

Thanks in Advance.

Persian Learner · Accepted Answer

If 'but' is a preposition, it gets a noun phrase as its object.

prakashravichandranHe didn't tell anyone but his lawyer.

'his lawyer' is a noun phrase which functions as the object of 'but'. So, prepositions always take objects.

E.g. There is a ball on the table. (on=preposition| the table= its object)

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If 'but' is a conjunction, it connects two clauses or phrases.

He wanted to become a lawyer, but I wanted to become a doctor.

The underlined parts in the above example are independent clauses joined by the coordinating conjunction 'but'.

I want to buy a beautiful but cheap car.

In the example above, two adjectives are connected with the conjunction 'but'.

So, if 'but' is used in a sentence as a 'connector', it is a conjunction.

'But' can also be part of another conjunction; for example, 'not only...but also' is a correlative conjunction. It can join two phrases or clauses with related ideas together.

prakashravichandranYou are not only my best friend but also my business partner.

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And, finally, 'but' is an adverb when it means 'only'.

We have but one week to meet the deadline.

Verbs are modified by adverbials. In the above sentence, 'but' modifies the verb 'have', so it is an 'adverb'.

BillJ · Answer

Prepositional “but” has the same meaning as the preposition “except”. They have it in common that - like most prepositions - they can take noun phrases as object complement, so they must belong in the same class, cf. He didn't tell anyone but/except his lawyer.

Adverbial “but” is a restrictive focusing modifier, with a meaning similar to “no more” or “no other”. cf. We

Adverbial “but” is a restrictive focusing modifier, with a meaning similar to “no more” or “no other”. cf. We have one week and no more to meet the deadline.

Coordinative “but” expresses a contrast between the two coordinates. In You are not only my best friend but also my business partner, the coordinates differ in two respects: (best friend vs business partner and negative vs positive).

Preposition

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