Note the following prayers:
They studied for the contest, but were not approved
or
They studied for the contest, more not approved?
the girls were the more class scholars
or
the girls were the but class scholars?
Did you notice anything different? Can you tell which of the prayers are correct? Note the answers below:
They studied for the contest, but have not been approved.
and
the girls were the more scholars of the class.
After all, when to use more or more? Why do these two little words confuse us so much, especially at the time of writing? Know that this is a recurrent doubt, a type of problem that is transferred from orality to paper, because most of us do not usually distinguish between the but and more in speech, isn't it? If you don't want to run the risk of making a mistake, stay tuned for Brasil Escola's tips on the differences between but and more and good studies!
When to use more and more:
► But:
They studied for the contest, but have not been approved.
Why, in the example above, was the but instead of more used? Well, in the sentence above, there is the sense of adversity, that is, despite they have studied, they were not approved. In this situation, the best option is to use a adversative conjunction, which will indicate the idea of opposition. Instead of but, we could also use conjunctions however, however, however, however, without prejudice to the senses.
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In addition to playing the role of conjunction adversative, the but can also be a common noun or a adverb, the latter applied when the intention is to emphasize a statement. These two jobs are less common, but they do exist. Watch:
Nor but, not half but, go to bed now! (but = common noun)
He is so kind, but so kind, that everyone wants to be around. (adverb)
► More:
the girls were the more scholars of the class.
In the sentence above, the word more was used to give idea of quantity, that is, the girls are more scholars. Note that the more could be replaced by the word any less, which also serves to quantify something. More is an adverb of intensity and will always be used in opposition to the word any less.
Heads up:
do not confuse but with but! The word but, when spelled with an acute accent, is the feminine of good and the plural of bad. Watch:
The young people were reprimanded because they walked with but companies.
By Luana Castro
Graduated in Letters
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
PEREZ, Luana Castro Alves. "But or more?"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/gramatica/mas-ou-mais.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.