Learn English – yet and nevertheless together

american-englishword-usage

How is this sentence correct:

Running an insurance agency left Charles Ives little time for composition, yet he nevertheless developed a unique musical idiom.

Yet and nevertheless cannot be used together; it's redundant isn't it? The sentence comes out of the SAT book of Barron's. So it should be correct, but I don't know how. Please explain.

Thanks.

Best Answer

I don't think they are redundant and the (very common) structure does add a bit of meaning in this case. Here's my analysis:

Yet emphasizes surprise or irony in compare/contrast. Nevertheless is an adverb meaning "in spite of that" and applies to the relationship between "little time" and "develop". Here is the original and my "interpreted" sentence to show how I understand the distinctions (roughly):

  • ORIGINAL: Running an insurance agency left Charles Ives little time for composition, yet he nevertheless developed a unique musical idiom.

  • INTERPRETED: Running an insurance agency left Charles Ives little time for composition, but surprisingly he developed (in spite of "little time") a unique musical idiom.

Sorry it's a little awkward to use a parenthetical expression, but its the best way I could explain this concisely. Compare with a sentence in which nevertheless would not work out so well:

  • "The visitors complained loudly about the heat, yet they continued to play golf every day." (From Guide to Grammar and Writing.)

  • "The visitors complained loudly about the heat, yet they nevertheless continued to play golf every day."

In the second sentence, I think nevertheless is too wordy. It's also vague: is nevertheless compared to their complaining, or to the heat, or to both?

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