Final post on interpreting a sentence. Thanks very much everyone.

[richuk]

Hey everyone I realise I have asked this question a couple of different ways before :roll: and I have had some great answers, which I really appreciate and I have learnt a lot . So that I can completely clarify my understanding please would you help me for the final time with the interpretation of this exact sentence please? Thanks very much guys it is very much appreciated :up:.

‘What did you think of the Physics lesson?
It wasn’t as fun as the Biology lessons but we learnt so much more.’

I believe the part of the answer sentence ‘we learnt so much more’ must apply to the Physics lesson rather than the Biology lessons. I believe (from what I have learnt) this is due to the word ‘but’ so that the part of the sentence after the ‘but’ can correctly contrast/contradict with the part of the sentence before the ‘but’.

The sentence therefore must mean:

‘What did you think of the Physics lesson?
It wasn’t as fun as the Biology lessons but we learnt so much more [in the Physics lesson].’

I understand this logic perfectly (based on how the word ‘but’ is used) however I’ll explain my confusion. As is evident the above sentence compares a single Physics lesson to multiple Biology lessons and states more was learnt from the Physics lesson. Does this mean more was learnt in the single Physics lesson than all of the Biology lessons combined (very unlikely scenario in my opinion) or more was learnt in the single Physics lesson than any comparable individual Biology lesson.

How would you interpret the answer?
I apologise for asking this similar question repeatedly when it probably means the same each time I ask it (this is the last time ;-)) Thanks everyone, this is a great site .

 

[2006]

‘What did you think of the Physics lesson?
It wasn’t as fun as the Biology lessons, but we learnt so much more.’

I believe the part of the answer sentence ‘we learnt so much more’ must apply to the Physics lesson rather than the Biology lessons. It absolutely 100% for sure does.

I believe (from what I have learnt) this is due to the word ‘but’ No, it's not due to the word "but"! It's due to the preceding question, which sets the subject of the second sentence.


so that the part of the sentence after the ‘but’ can correctly contrast/contradict with the part of the sentence before the ‘but’.

You are paying too much attention to the word "but"!
Pay more attention to the subject of the second sentence, which is "It", 'the Physics lesson' in the preceding question.

'What did you think of the Physics lesson?
It wasn’t as fun as the Biology lessons, but we learnt so much more [in the Physics lesson].’

And don't worry about the sentences talking about one Physics lesson and multiple Biology lessons. It doesn't matter. It just means that the Physics lesson was not as much fun as the biology lessons, as a group, were.

Sorry, my post is somewhat repetitive.