I wasn't really sure what I was going to talk about here on the podcast,
but then I decided to do this. This lesson is going to be
nothing but expressions using but and but for a short conversation. It's just going
to be me doing the talking. As you know, I am but your
humble English teacher. Welcome to another Happy English podcast coming to you from New
York City. And here's your English teacher, Michael al Ry. Thank you
John, and thanks everyone. It's Michael here from Happy English and I help
people speak English better. This is Happy English Podcast, Episode seven point thirty
one, using but. I couldn't do anything this morning but think about how
to teach you these five ways to use butt. In fact, I couldn't
come up with anything but the following conversation. Now, listen to a conversation
between two friends. As you listen, try to pay attention to the phrases
with but they are using. Hey, Sam, did you finish the book
I lent you. I tried to read it, but I couldn't get into
it. Really I thought it was fascinating. Well, everyone has different tastes.
Sorry about that. It was anything but my cup of tea. Oh
well, maybe the next one will be better. So what did you do
this weekend? Nothing but chores. I cleaned the entire house. That sounds
exhausting. I went to a concert and it was amazing, but too crowded.
Yeah, crowds can be a hassle. By the way, are you
still working on that project? I am but a simple worker in a big
project, and it's quite challenging. I understand sometimes you can do nothing but
your best. Exactly. Well, I'm heading to the gym, now,
see you later. First of all, but introduces a contrast to what was
just said with this usage, but means However, and this is the most
basic usage of but that I think everyone learns. First, Connie studied hard,
but she didn't pass the exam. Sally said she liked the color of
the dress, but the length was too short. Brian's a nice looking man,
but he's not so smart. We also use but to mean only or
just. This has a rather formal sound to me. I am but a
simple English teacher, not a poet. Doesn't that sound formal? Lucy's his
daughter is but a child, yet she speaks like an adult. They were
but a few minutes late for the meeting, and the boss was fuming.
We can also use but in a negative sentence to mean except or except four.
Because of the heavy rain, they couldn't do anything but stay inside the
whole weekend. We finished the exam, so there's nothing we can do but
wait for the results. The park was deserted but for a few joggers.
The library was quiet but for the sound of pages turning. Lastly, we
have the phrases anything but and nothing but. We use anything but to mean
entirely, not or not at all. We generally use the phrase anything but
followed by an adjective. That sales meeting yesterday was anything but productive. The
food in that restaurant we went to for lunch was anything but delicious. His
story he told about meeting Matt Damon was anything but true. And finally,
for today, we use nothing but to mean a lot of We generally use
the phrase nothing but followed by a noun or a noun phrase. We had
nothing but problems on our vacation. She talked about nothing but her vacation.
The entire evening. During the hike, we saw nothing but beautiful scenery.
Keep in mind the best way to remember this and any other word or phrase
in English is to take that word or phrase, write it in a sentence
that's true for you or true in your world, and then memorize your sentences
by the way. Can you imagine getting the chance to practice this kind of
English with me directly? You can get more practice using your English when you
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