But, while, whereas

Question

Supermarket fruit  may be cheap.......it is not as tasty as fruit from a market."But' is the answer but why can't 'while' or 'whereas' be used?

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

anonymous
Supermarket fruit may be cheap.......it is not as tasty as fruit from a market.
"But' is the answer but why can't 'while' or 'whereas' be used?

Technically you could use those others, but they are in a higher register than the rest of the sentence, so they might stand out as not quite appropriate in the given sentence.

Besides, the comparisons with 'whereas' are usually more direct. Note how the subject changes in the following sentences while the rest of the clause is about the same in structure but contains one contrasting fact. Your example has the same subject in both clauses.

Nationwide, INEGI registered 24,374 murders, whereas the SNSP registered 20,585.
Mr Draper is the ultimate loud American, whereas Mr Zennstrom is a sombre Swede.
You are reporting on the quarter whereas the Guardian is reporting on the month.

'while' works about the same way:

Riley was third at the district meet while Watt was sixth.
Boozer finished with 17, while Noah piled up 10 rebounds, 9 points and 6 blocks.
The fish effluents feed the plants, while the excess plant matter feed the fish.

CJ

But, while, whereas

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