quarta-feira, 13 de outubro de 2010

"though" Vs. "but"



What's up with you guys,

Well, I have been wondering how these two conjunctions are used and decided to post on their usages. I really hope it helps clarify them for you.

THOUGH and BUT are two conjunctions of contrast, which means they are used in situations which the first clause and the second has different or adverse ideas. The word THOUGH is used by native English speakers, mainly Americans, in an informal situation and mostly in spoken language.

Although, these two conjunctions are similar and used in the same situations, there is a small difference between them, besides their spelling, it is where it comes in a sentence. 

Usually the conjunction BUT comes in-between the two clauses. See examples below: 

  • I'm busy today, but we could meet tomorrow.
  • It sounds like fun, but isn't it dangerous?
  • I thought he'd been drinking, but I wasn't completely sure.
  • We had a long break today, but I didn't enjoy it.
  • We are close friends, but I haven't seen her in years.
And the conjunction THOUGH usually comes at the end of the second clause. It is not a grammatical rule, it is only how it is used by native speakers. That is, it is pragmatically perfect. See examples below: 


  • I'm busy today. We could meet tomorrow, though.
  • It sounds like fun. Isn't it dangerous, though?
  • I thought he'd been drinking. I wasn't completely sure, though.
  • We had a long break today. I didn't enjoy it, though.
  • We were close friends. I haven't seen her in years, though.
In the US, it is really common to see people using "though" and non-native speakers do not usually understand it at once. Check it on TV shows and movies. 

Thank y'all for stopping by,

Lil' Dawg

4 comentários:

  1. Perfect!! Congratulations!! Now everything is clear or me! Lemme try some examples: I love talking to my friend on the phone, but communication by emails and messages seems good and its cheaper! ou I love talkig to my friend thought the phone. Communication by email is cheaper, though!

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  2. Well done, Vania. I am glad you learned how to use both of the words appropriately, keep it up! Thanks for always coming here and commenting on every single post.

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  3. Bro... That was one of my first questions to native americans... what the hell is that "though", that you guys, use all the time? A bunch of them, explained in different ways, making more complicated... :p I really understood the meaning and how to use, after talk to juju a bunch about it, and now, to clarify more, your post :) Miss ya, hope to see you soon!

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