I asked about a version of the following sentence yesterday, but today my focus is different. Do you think "but" makes sense in the following sentences?
Gorillas have often been portrayed as a timid species, but in truth these shy apes constantly fight over sex, food, or territory.
I'd like to know what function the conjunction but serves in the sentence.
Is it intended to debunk the notion that gorillas are timid? If so, wouldn't the purpose be defeated by the second clause acknowledging they are "shy apes," i.e. timid animals?
Best Answer
Yes, 'but' is used to indicate that something in the second part of the sentence will contradict something that was said in the first part of the sentence.
The words 'these shy apes' could have been replaced by 'they', e.g.
I suspect that the writer deliberately chose to use 'these shy apes' instead of 'they' because (i)it reinforces the apes shyness and (ii) 'these shy apes' then appears immediately before the writer introduces the contradiction. On the other hand, using.'they' would put four words between 'a timid species' and the contradiction, which could reduce the impact of the contradiction.
As an aside, it is arguable that no contradiction actually exists. The fact that gorillas can be timid in the presence oh humans, is no reason why they cannot be aggressive within their own communities. So, this sentence is not really comparing apples with apples.