Re: "A but not B" as object of verb

jinhyun wrote:
"contrex" wrote:
"jinhyun" wrote:

No my point is that they [there?] would be a pause before 'but'
which would require to be represented by a comma if not a semicolon.

Require? You appear to labour under the common misapprehension that
commas in written English represent pauses which would be inserted by
a hypothetical speaker. Although many writers benefit from reading
aloud commas as pauses while proofreading, a comma does not always
represent a pause in a spoken sentence. When speaking, people pause
for many reasons, and placing commas in at all points where you would
pause often leads to misplaced commas. You are better served by
learning the rules of comma usage.

Apple updates iTunes for AppleTV but not Vista
Last but not least
Lost but not forgotten
Farewell But Not Goodbye
Caring but not sharing. Separate bedrooms are all the rage among
American couples.
Green but not clean
Seen but not heard

No, you're absolutely right that a comma does not a pause make nor the
other way round. The principal office of a comma is to point out the
logical(or what is the same --grammatical) structure of a sentence.
Even if there's a pause at a point, but grammatical reasons forbid a
comma, there shouldn't be one. Sometimes there are commas for
grammatical reasons where no-one in his right mind would pause. But
sometimes, grammar is indifferent as to whether
a comma or perhaps a semicolon, perhaps even a colon should or
shouldn't be there. Under such circumstances, I think that our choice
should not be arbitrary but based on rhetorical considerations. In the
O.P's example
"I bought milk but not bread."
"I bought milk, but not bread."
"I bought milk; but not bread."
are all grammatically sound. The choice between them shouldn't be
arbitrary, based on some meaningless rule such as 'Never use a stop
where none will do', but on rhetorical considerations. The versions
that come out in real life will usually be either the scond one or
sometimes the third; seldom if ever the first. The first is
grammatical but only the second and third are idiomatic.

Apple updates iTunes for AppleTV but not Vista
Last but not least
Lost but not forgotten
Farewell But Not Goodbye
Caring but not sharing. Separate bedrooms are all the rage among
American couples.
Green but not clean
Seen but not heard

In all these, I think that the lack of a comma is justified
rhetorically. I think that in saying them, the pauses before 'but' are
too short to attract a comma.

I have been chastised for the occasional adherence to what is called the Pause School of Commafication, although I think such adherence can be helpful at times. In general, I don't subscribe to it.

At the risk of being repetitious, I will explain that commas in the above sentences are not to be put there because of any pause, real or imagined, but to accentuate the contrast between the two parts of the sentence. As I stated before, with examples, I agree with Dr. Darling's statement, "Use commas to set off phrases that express contrast", in his Guide to Grammar and Writing.
--
Skitt (in Hayward, California)
http://www.geocities.com/opus731/


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