Anything but meaning in English
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Definition
(You're) anything but (handsome): (You're) far from, definitely not, not at all (handsome)
Examples
- "Harold : Anything but that!"
- "Anything but that!"
- "Anything but this!"
- "Anything but Bruno."
Exercise 1
Dr. Badguy tells Bruno that his assistant Polly was "most unhelpful".
Which of the following sentences could replace this line in the dialogue and express the same meaning?
There may be more than one correct answer!
Which of the following sentences could replace this line in the dialogue and express the same meaning?
There may be more than one correct answer!
Dr. Badguy tells Bruno that his assistant Polly was "most unhelpful".
Which of the following sentences could replace this line in the dialogue and express the same meaning?
There may be more than one correct answer!
Which of the following sentences could replace this line in the dialogue and express the same meaning?
There may be more than one correct answer!
Dr. Badguy's use of the phrase "most unhelpful" expresses that he found Polly to be very "unhelpful". Although "most" is often used to create the superlative form, here it is synonymous with "very". The adjective which follows is in the negative form, so "most unhelpful" actually expresses that Polly "was not helpful". To be "anything but helpful" is another way to express this same idea.
The phrase "most unhelpful" actually expresses that Polly was NOT helpful. The term "unhelpful" is a negative term, and the term "most" which precedes it does not cancel its negation.
Although "most" is often used to create the superlative form, here it is synonymous with the adverb "very". Dr. Badguy is not comparing Polly to all the assistants he has met, he is simply saying that she was very unhelpful.
Dr. Badguy's use of the phrase "most unhelpful" expresses that he found Polly to be very "unhelpful". Although "most" is often used to create the superlative form, here it is synonymous with "very". The adjective which follows is in the negative form, so "most unhelpful" actually expresses that Polly "was not helpful".
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