best creative minds / to name but a few

[Ju]

This book is created by a variety of artists, as well as some of celebrities and best creative minds. These include AAA, BBB and CCC to name but a few.

1) Does best creative minds play as a noun in the aboved sentence?

2) For the sentence These include AAA, BBB and CCC to name but a few:

• Is the structure right?
• What does it mean?
• I like the phrase to name but a few, can you show me examples by using this phrase so as to further understand its meaing?

Thanks.

[Tdol]

1 Best doesn't- it just modifies the noun phrase.
2 It means that there are many others of a similar standard but the person isn't going to list all.

[BobK]

but = only, here: To name only a few (but, as Tdol says, the speaker isn't going to list them all).

There other contexts where but = only - 'Take pity, I am but a poor passer-by' (in fact, in quite old/mannered writing, 'but' and 'a poor ...' collocate).

b

[Ju]

1) Shall I say:

I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to you and all creative minds who have contributed tremendously in this project, namely, Jess, Peter, Esmy to name but a few.

2) I am always hesitant to use namely for oral and written English. Am I right this time? How could I make it better?

3) Can I use the above sentence for both oral and written English?

4) Shall I put comma behind creative minds? Is the sentence too long?

Thanks.

[Tdol]

I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to you and all the creative minds who have contributed tremendously in this project: Jess, Peter and Esmy, to name but a few.

I'd do something like this. You use of 'namely' is incorrect, becauase when yuou use it you name everyone- it can't introduce a few examples. It could be used for both spoken and written. There's no need for a comma before 'creative'.

[piousoul]

1 Best doesn't- it just modifies the noun phrase.
2 It means that there are many others of a similar standard but the person isn't going to list all.

Hi, Tdol, I'm confused by your reply to question 1.
What noun phrase does it modify? Thanks.