The result is fascinating but frustrating.

[belly_ttt]

http://vva.org/veteran/0607/books.html
In the article about Pham Xuan An, they said:

n this first full-length English language biography of Pham Xuan An, Larry Berman explores An’s life sympathetically and with verve. A professor at the University of California, Davis, historian, and author (No Peace, No Honor: Nixon, Kissinger and Betrayal in Vietnam), Berman is well-equipped for this story. He met An at a dinner in Ho Chi Minh City, became fascinated with him, and made a succession of visits to further their acquaintance. Along the way, he achieved unparalleled access to his subject and became his authorized biographer. The result is fascinating but frustrating.

What does but mean here in the last sentence?

 

[Anglika]

...and is also...

 

[belly_ttt]

Can we interpret it as however?
Besides, I haven't seen but means also

 

[heidita]

Can we interpret it as however?
Besides, I haven't seen but meaning also

I believe you are quite right. I would interpret this "but" as however, on the other hand...


cheers

 

[belly_ttt]

Could you explain to me why we need a gerund here? meaning but not means?

 

[louhevly]

Could you explain to me why we need a gerund here? meaning but not means?

Because with verbs of perception (see, hear, watch, etc.), the action that the subject perceives another person or object doing is expressed either with a bare infinitive or a gerund, but never an inflected form:

I saw him come in.
I saw him coming in.

The difference is slight, but the infinitive implies that the action is definitely finished.

Lou

 

[belly_ttt]

Ok, then it should be correct to use bare infinitive here, shouldn't it?

 

[louhevly]

Ok, then it should be correct to use bare infinitive here, shouldn't it?

Yes. For me, "Besides, I haven't seen but mean also" is correct.

Lou

 

[heidita]

Yes. For me, "Besides, I haven't seen but mean also" is correct.

Lou

Yes, Lou, I agree with this. I mainly made the correction because of the "s" (means)

cheers

 

[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.

 

[Anglika]

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]

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]

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