The result is fascinating but frustrating.

[Anglika]

Originally Posted by AstroNox

The author uses two words to express the result of Pham Xuan An and Larry Berman working together: fascinating, and frustrating. He had to use a conjunction to hold the sentence together, and yes, he could have used and instead. The but here essential does the same job as and, a conjunction, however was used here instead of and because of the difference in connotation: fascinating was positive while frustrating was negative. If it was fantastic instead of frustrating, he would have used and; if it was frivolous instead of fascinating, he would too, have used and.

This seems to me to be becoming over-explained. I do not see that "and" would necessarily have been used with these combinations in preference to "but". fantastic but frustrating; fantastic but frivolous - both tell you that the text was X but that it was also Y.

At the end of the day, the author preferred "but", and it is his decision.

[heidita]

Originally Posted by Anglika

This seems to me to be becoming over-explained. I do not see that "and" would necessarily have been used with these combinations in preference to "but". fantastic but frustrating; fantastic but frivolous - both tell you that the text was X but that it was also Y.

At the end of the day, the author preferred "but", and it is his decision.

I wonder why you should say that, Anglika.

But gives a different connotation to the sentence . It expresses some kind of surprise. And would put the two words on the same level.

It is true that both conjunctions express that both feelings were there, but the level is different.

cheers

[belly_ttt]

Thanks everyone for having helped me ( I wonder if having helped here is right, how about helping? Do they both have the same function?). So, to sum up, the opinion of the authors towards Pham Xuan An and Mr Berman is both satisfied and unsatisfied, right?

[heidita]

Originally Posted by belly_ttt

Thanks everyone for having helped me ( I wonder if having helped here is right, how about helping? Do they both have the same function?). So, to sum up, the opinion of the authors towards Pham Xuan An and Mr Berman is both satisfied and unsatisfied, right?

Right, belly.

And you can say both, having helped or helped.

Really, having helped refers only to the past, and helping me, could mean, that you are still waiting for answers. But really, both forms are more or less used indistinctly. Actually, many use: for helping me...to refer to something in the past, even though this might not be exactly grammatically as correct.

cheers