Using ‘anything but’ and ‘nothing short of’
written by Lilian Ndongmo. ESL Teacher
Anything but refers to someone or something that is contrary to what you expected.
It places emphasis on the adjective or quality that describes the subject.
This expression is usually used to describe a situation that is negative.
How to put this is a sentence?
That’s easy. Follow the steps below to make a simple but correct sentence:
Subject + verb (to be) + anything but + complement (adjective)
Examples:
Our wedding cake was anything but good. (Meaning: our wedding cake was not good at all and probably should be put in the trash.)
Your presentation is anything but organized.
My classmate is anything but polite.
Nothing short of is used to emphasize the veracity of a statement. It is synonymous to truly or really.
Example: This ice cream is truly/ really delicious
This sentence is correct. However, if you want to give it a little bit more panache, simply replace truly or really with nothing short of: This ice cream is nothing short of delicious.
To make a correct sentence, follow the steps below:
Subject + verb (to be) + nothing short of + complement (adjective)
Note: Nothing short of can be used for both negative and positive situations. All you need to do is put a negative or positive adjective at the end of the sentence.
The verb “to be” is the most common verb used with this expression.
Examples:
My trip to Cuba was nothing short of splendid.
This statue is nothing short of grotesque.
Not sharing your cake with others is nothing short of selfish.
Arriving on time at work is nothing short of professional.
Whenever you have the opportunity, use these idiomatic expressions to spice up your English.
Enjoy!