Question

'But for cancer i would not have given up smoking'. 'But' in the sentence is

• A. an adverb
• B. a preposition
• C. an adjective
• D. a verb

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Understand the sentence
The sentence is: “But for cancer I would not have given up smoking.” Here, the phrase “but for” is important. It does not mean “however” or “on the contrary.” Instead, it means “except for” or “if it were not for.”

Step 2: Grammatical function of "but" here
When "but" is used in the expression "but for," it functions as a preposition. It introduces the cause or condition (cancer) that led to giving up smoking. Prepositions show relationships between words in a sentence, and in this case "but for" relates the action of quitting smoking to the reason (cancer).

Step 3: Meaning of the sentence
The sentence can be rephrased as: “If it were not for cancer, I would not have given up smoking.” This confirms that "but for" is being used exactly like a prepositional phrase meaning "except for" or "were it not for."

Step 4: Elimination of other possibilities
- "But" is not a conjunction here, because it is not joining two clauses. - It is not an adverb, because it does not modify a verb, adjective, or sentence. - Only as a preposition does it make sense, since it introduces the object "cancer."

Final Answer: The correct option is (B) a preposition, because "but for" means "if not for" and is used as a prepositional phrase.