Help your readers by avoiding the word “but” in 5 ways
20. Oct, 2009 
31 Comments
The word “but” probably scares you a lot. It definitely scares me in the few cases where I have to spend some time to come up with a sentence that can convey the same or a better meaning without using that word. Using the word “but” is also, in many cases, the same as simply saying “No, you cannot have this” or “No, you are wrong because of this.” However, those latter two sentences are more direct and less negative than a sentence containing the word “but.”
The word “but” usually marks the beginning of something that the listener, and the reader, would know is not in their best interest. Would you want to use words in your sentences that the other person is simply going to start resenting or not wanting to hear? Today, we will go through 5 extremely simple yet effective ways to focus on a message and to avoid using the word “but” completely. This way, you can gain more attention and be able to actually convey your message to an audience without creating an air of resistance in other people.
With complaint e-mails, if you do not address the direct concerns of the e-mailer in your reply, you may actually worsen a situation. The best way to respond to an e-mail is to actually think of letting the e-mailer know how you will solve a problem and also comforting the e-mailer, whether directly or indirectly.
