This is an All Ears English podcast, episode 2357.
But what about conjunctions?
English grammar for contrasts.
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When you're in an English conversation, how can you know whether to use but or though?
Today, find out the very subtle difference and how to use these two conjunctions.
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Thank you hello lindsay how are you hey aubry i'm doing well how are you i am great it's winter in arizona yes speaking of winter what is your favorite season i would say winter in arizona not winter in idaho when it's snowy and cold but what about fall when you know just the hot air is cooling down
and you can finally go outside and breathe isn't that a great time of year not in arizona i would love fall in colorado and i did love fall growing up in the northwest but in arizona fall is hot and miserable you're ready for it to cool down and it doesn't until like christmas oh my gosh you kind of have six
months of hot miserable weather and then six months of beautiful weather okay all right but i love how you followed up your question saying but what about fall.
We often do in informal conversations, we will start a question with but.
We got a great question about but versus though, when to know which to use.
And then we're also going to kind of dive into that advice to never start a sentence with but.
When can you do that?
Yeah, there's a lot to talk about today.
And today's episode is inspired by a YouTube viewer.
A great question. Remember, guys, we do have a YouTube channel for All Ears english go over to youtube and type in all there's english and hit subscribe right away to be able to watch us on video if that's how you prefer to learn that is a good option for you absolutely and this was from satv1gt it's
always just like a youtube handle yeah so definitely you ask questions if you want to shout out yeah please do hit it for us they said what a good morning thanks to you lindsay and aubrey you're doing a great job i love this so much it's an amazing morning because I listened to the Allers English Podcast.
We love that. We love that.
We love that we can be a part of your day.
It's an honor for us.
Yes, absolutely. And then they said, I was just wondering about the difference between but and though.
Are they used for the same purpose?
And can one of them be in the middle of phrases and the other in the end?
Or is there more to it than this?
So this is a great question and it's a follow up it's part two to um part one was others english 2346 all about though this is tricky english grammar though so if you haven't consumed that one i would stay on this episode and then when we finish go back and consume part one 2346 right you don't have to
have heard that one first to hear that one so stay to the end and then go check out that one and be sure you're following all three of our podcasts part three is going to be on IELTS energy and we're going to share some other impressive linking phrases for contrasts like though that would be great for the IELTS
exam and just great for speaking and writing in general exactly I love it so go and hit follow on the IELTS energy podcast to be ready for part three in this series Aubrey let's break it down where should we start today for our listeners yeah so you're going to hear all about though in part one, which can be
at the beginning, middle and end.
It's used a lot of different ways.
Today, we're focusing more on but, but we will talk about a time when we would use though instead of but.
So stick around so you don't miss that.
But is typically in the middle of a sentence as a coordinating conjunction connects two independent clauses.
So these are sentences that could stand on their own, but it would be two simple sentences.
We use a conjunction to combine them together to have a compound or a complex sentence yeah lots of fancy grammar terminology there but let's give our listeners a couple of examples so they can see what we're saying here how about this one aubry i was supposed to have class today but it was cancelled
right yeah so you can see it's used to introduce contrasting ideas right different conjunctions are used for different things and is definitely is just for more information but is showing a contrast so normally i have class but today it was cancelled i might say go ahead don't usually eat out but we
didn't feel like cooking today exactly so showing that contrast and that is so important because we also change our tone of voice at the higher levels we don't stay monotone as we insert the butt right i saw i heard your tone of voice change there aubrey could you say that second example yeah again we
don't usually eat out but we didn't feel like cooking today yeah you're going to have interesting intonation because it makes sense when you're showing a contrast so in some ways, this but does more than just link the two contrasting pieces of the sentence.
It allows you to have kind of a benchmark or a signpost or separation in what you're saying.
So you're not monotone.
Exactly. It would be strange to just have two simple sentences.
We don't usually eat out.
We didn't feel like cooking today.
So, you know, you'd still be like, so we did.
It really wouldn't make sense.
You need that conjunction to emphasize the contrast.
I love it. What else do we need to know here, Aubrey?
Yeah. So if you are doing a deep dive on but, you're likely going to see the advice to not use but to start sentences.
This is for academic writing, formal writing, but as a stylistic choice, sometimes we will see it in writing and you can absolutely, especially for questions like Lindsay's follow -up, but what about fall?
Fall is amazing. We often will start a sentence with but when we're speaking.
Exactly. The writing techniques that I learned in, you know, high school don't apply to the way I speak and connect with human beings, right?
In English, in high school or in college, they tell you never start a sentence in a more academic paper with, but fine, that's true.
However, there's a lot of opportunities.
And you mentioned Aubrey as a stylistic choice.
If you read novels, you'll see that for sure.
Yes. Right. It's very intentional when that happens, but you'll hear it in conversations all the time.
Let's do a little mini role play to show how that could happen.
All right. I'm leaving at 4 .30 for the game.
But I thought you had to be there at 4.
They pushed it back, and it starts at 5 now.
Yeah. So very common, of course.
Yes. And I could say just, I thought you had to be there at 4.
Starting with but does make it a little more informal, a little more conversational.
They mean the same thing, and it does emphasize that contrast a little bit like, oh, well, I thought it was this.
Yeah. You also could have said, I thought you had to be there at four though.
I mean, that's conversational too, right?
You might see that, but I love the idea that it's just like, it's more direct, but I thought you had to be there at four, but this, but that.
You just hear it a lot.
Oh yeah. You're going to hear it a lot.
You can absolutely use it.
So don't let this, if you're thinking, oh wait, I shouldn't start this with, but no, if you are speaking, absolutely.
There's no reason not to.
Oh, my gosh. And the idea of stopping and thinking, oh, my academic teacher told me not to do this.
I think connection and verbal expression is so different from writing a paper.
So never let the rules of writing a paper get in the way of connection.
Absolutely. Yes, right.
That's very good advice.
Absolutely. So here's a question.
Sometimes we will choose though over but when we are speaking, writing too.
But when we're speaking, when would we do that, Lindsay?
yeah i think when we need to really emphasize that contrast or oh i like this one because it's all about spontaneity when we realize the contrast is occurring as we're speaking because the truth is the way we speak our native languages or english is we're thinking of what's going on as we're saying it
exactly right it's fluid it's flexible so often you just throw it in because you realize I need to emphasize this contrast.
So for example, I'll say a sentence with but, and then you say it with though.
Okay, Lindsay. Okay.
I'm hoping Mark comes to the party, but he didn't come last time.
So I doubt it. Yeah.
And here's the same thing with though.
I'm hoping Mark comes to the party though.
He didn't come last time.
So I doubt it. Yeah.
Yeah. And with, but it's sort of, you're just throwing out a statement with though there is that emphasis in the contrast.
And I could see myself using though, when it's like, as I'm speaking, I realize it's probably not going to happen.
I'm hoping Mark comes though.
He didn't last time.
So I doubt it. You're kind of thinking out loud.
And this is a lot of what we do in English, right?
A hundred percent. This is the way to get to that natural level.
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Okay, Aubrey. So let's go into a couple of interesting expressions using if and but, but, other buts.
Yes, we want to share a couple of fun ones.
First is just no ifs, ands, or buts.
This is a great expression that means certainly or definitely, right?
You're wanting to emphasize your surety that something will happen.
I love it. Yes. So for example, we're going to Disneyland this year, no ifs, ands or buts.
Yes. Yeah. We might use this if we're wanting to tell someone, we won't accept an excuse from them.
And then we also shorten it and we'll just say no buts, right?
We might say, let's do a little mini role play to show this.
Okay. Yeah. You're coming to my party Saturday, right?
Well, I... No buts.
You have to be there.
so you kind of cut me off right there cut you off I'm like I will not accept your excuses we'll also just say no excuses yes there are a lot of ways to say this this could be the source of another episode entirely for sure um but this is good so for me it's more common to hear no ifs ands or buts but I like
the idea of shortening it and just saying you know no buts you're coming okay you're coming so fun let's do a role play where we can show of course you know, but and though in a sentence and then also these fun expressions.
We are at a family reunion in this one way.
Oh boy, here we go.
I'm so glad you made it.
Your parents usually come, but I don't think I've seen you at one of these before.
I know it's the first time I've been able to attend.
Something always comes up, but this time I was like, I'm going.
No ifs, ands, or buts.
That's what my mom said to me when I told her I had to work.
She said, no buts. your mom is the best though she did beat me at Uno this morning so clearly with that last one we'll break down the last one first you came up with that idea as you said that didn't you it's kind of spontaneous in the moment totally right I'm like your mom's the best and then I remember
she beat me at this game this morning so then I add this some more to be funny right though she did beat me at Uno this morning and I think the reason that works for the spontaneous thinking is because you're actually resting on though more than we do on but.
I think if you already had that in mind that you were gonna say she beat you at uno, you probably would have said your mom's the best, but she beat me at uno this morning.
That's kind of pre -prepared.
You already knew it.
But with this one, though, she did beat me at uno.
So that idea is coming to you in the moment.
So you're waiting to formulate the idea.
Does that make sense?
And then when we've sort of formulated in that moment, I think that's why we add though to emphasize the contrast.
Like, okay, I just said this positive thing and now I'm really highlighting this contrast.
Yeah. Because you need something, right?
You need something to contrast there.
Good. Let's go over what else we said here, Aubrey.
So you started it and you're saying your parents usually come, but I don't think I've seen you at one of these before.
And this is like you said, it's sort of more pre -planned, so we use but to contrast it.
We wouldn't choose though here.
It's very subtle, the difference.
I think you could, you know your parents usually come though i don't i guess you could you could certainly it wouldn't be wrong though right aubrey to say though in that case interesting how i feel like there is a subtle meaning change i think if you said though i don't think i've seen you it would sort
of be like judging like criticizing like i haven't seen you at these before but just because it's emphasizing the contrast interesting interesting and then you said i know it's the first time i've been able to attend something always comes up but this time i was like i'm going no ifs ands or buts okay
yeah so we have but as a conjunction in the sentence right something always comes up but this time and then we use that fun expression i was like i'm going no ifs ands or buts this means i'm not going to allow any excuse to stand in my way exactly and then i said that's what my mom said to me when i
told her i had to work and she said no buts you know you're going is a shortened version of the first one i love it exactly my mom said this a lot she's she's like nope i won't accept any excuses no buts it's just shortening no ifs ands or buts yeah just laying down the law there you go um good stuff
so aubrey what's our takeaway for today yeah i think this is such a fun connection skill to playfully refuse to accept a no to an invitation what you're really saying is i really want you there right you're trying to let them know in a playful way, right?
No excuses. We want you to be there.
Yeah, exactly. Meaning you're welcome.
We enjoy your company, right?
That's really what you're saying.
And I like how in this episode, Aubrey, we touched on the use of though as kind of a hanging, like a little break where you can hang out in that word, extend it and keep thinking as you're formulating your response.
The contrast in the statement is pretty cool.
It is. It's really interesting.
This is very subtle how the conjunction you choose kind of does change your meaning and it is subtle, right?
Nothing to stress about, but often as we're speaking, we choose.
