Me: BUTT?
My first thought was: *hee-hee* "I'm going to touch the butt!"
Hubby: Not BUTT, BUT. B-U-T.
Me: BUT that's a conjunction!
Hubby: A conditional, negative conjunction!
Since then, I've become more aware of "BUT". I try to avoid it, BUT sometimes, it just comes out. I've learned that "BUT" negates whatever comes before or after it. Take a look at these examples.
Johnny is using /k/ and /g/ in conversation, BUT those /r/s are not where they need to be.
Johnny's /r/ sounds need work, BUT /k/ and /g/ sound great!
What are parents and co-workers going to hear? The negative part.
BUT, BUT is not the only word to avoid. There are a host of ways to say "BUT", and we even try to soften BUT.
I've said most of these about a gajillion times each, AND now I have some substitutions.
For No Offense, I Don't Want to Be Rude, I'm Not Being Mean, I Hate to Say It, or Bless Her Heart:
SILENCE
That's right, I bite my tongue. I'm an adult. If it's not nice, it stays in my head. It makes me cringe to hear those words, so those BUT phrases are the easy ones to avoid.
For It's My Fault or I Love You, that's it. Period. There is no but. There's no condition for my mess-ups or love.
Same with However and Although. Those are my big ones. My strategy is pause/mental period/rephrase.
Old way: Johnny is using /k/ and /g/ in conversation. However, the /r/ sounds aren't there yet.
New way: Johnny is using /k/ and /g/ in conversation! (pause) He's ready to start working on /r/ now.
No negativity, no conditions. AND there's even some celebration about progress!
And the last BUT phrase? I shouldn't eat that chocolate cake, BUT...? Yeah, that one came from one of my principals. I'm still working on that one.
To see other words to avoid, click on the links below. Thanks to Doyle Speech Works and Sparklle SLP for getting this link-up ready! SLP bloggers, we'd love to hear from you!
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