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LeeMills771 Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

The context of the word 'but'.

Hi people,

Here is a sentence from William Hazlitt, an English author:

I have but an indifferent opinion of the prose style of poets.

Now, I'm struggling to get my head around the meaning of the sentence. If we take out the word 'but' he is saying he has an indifferent opinion to prose style. Now, how does the word but change the meaning of the sentence. Is he saying he has an indifferent opinion, or not? Sorry to sound a little stupid here!

Thank you,

Lee.
  

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3 Answers
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It is an older usage of "but", meaning "only."
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Hi Stars,

Thank you very much for your reply. Just so I understand, 'but' would be an adverb.

Thank you for your time.

Lee.
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