but rather is this

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "but rather is this" is not standard in written English and may cause confusion.
It can be used in contexts where you want to contrast two ideas, but it would typically need to be rephrased for clarity. Example: "This is not a question of preference, but rather is this a matter of necessity?"

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

But now we face a different dilemma: It's not "what do we watch," but rather, "is this more important than sleep?" You see, for some god-awful reason, we are dealing with interleague baseball, and it's just silly.

Huffington Post

I think the harder thing is less about "is this going to be funny?" but rather "is this true?" Sometimes we end up on the wrong side and sometimes we end up on the right side of that line, but that's an effort we're always making.

Vice

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

A similar problem relates to the proposal that p62/SQSTM1 participates in amino acid signaling (Duran et al. 2011), because this protein does not inhibit autophagy but rather is required for this process.

Amino Acids

She's doesn't seem to be watching the purification, but rather is looking at this fellow over here, and given what he looks like, I guess that's not surprising.

Yale University

The suggestion that enforcement of the rule of law -- i.e., subjecting the President to rules of general applicability -- does not further the separation of powers, but rather is in derogation of this purpose, is bizarre.

Cornell University

But, rather, is there any possible way that this cultural behemoth can live up to the hype?

The Guardian

The Russians I spoke to did not appear humiliated, but rather were proud to join in this important endeavor.

Huffington Post

However, for iterative research, ethics are not seen in this way, but rather are treated as relational and multidimensional.

BMC Medical Ethics

These DNA samples were not collected specifically for this study, but rather were collected for identification and genetic diagnosis purposes.

BMC Genomics

Yet the key event that defines Christianity is neither the life nor teachings of Jesus, but rather it is this strange event that happened after his death: the resurrection.

Huffington Post

"But I'd rather be doing this than, like, water skiing all summer," she said.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When aiming for clarity, rephrase "but rather is this" to "but rather, it is this" or "but instead, this is" for better grammatical flow. Always consider if a simpler contrasting conjunction like "however" or "instead" would improve readability.

Common error

Don't force the structure "but rather is this" if it sounds unnatural. Often, restructuring the sentence with a clearer subject-verb order significantly improves comprehension and maintains the contrast effectively.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "but rather is this" functions as a conjunction aiming to introduce a contrast or clarification. However, its structure is non-standard and often considered awkward, as indicated by Ludwig AI. It attempts to negate a previous statement and offer an alternative perspective, but it can often be replaced with more fluent alternatives.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

60%

Science

20%

Academia

20%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "but rather is this" aims to provide a contrast or clarification but suffers from an awkward and non-standard structure. As Ludwig AI points out, this phrase is not considered grammatically sound and can be confusing. While it appears in various contexts, including News & Media, Science, and Academia, its usage is infrequent, and it is advisable to opt for clearer and more conventional alternatives like "but instead this is" or "however this is". Remember, prioritizing clarity enhances communication.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

but rather it is this

Adds "it is" to improve grammatical flow and clarity.

but instead it is this

Combines "instead" and "it is" for enhanced clarity and emphasis.

but instead this is

Replaces "rather" with "instead" for a more direct contrast.

but in reality this is

Uses "in reality" to showcase a contrast with prior expectations.

but this is actually

Adds "actually" to emphasize the contrasting truth.

but the reality is this

Introduces "the reality" to highlight a differing situation.

however this is

Uses "however" as a transition to introduce a contrasting point.

on the contrary this is

Employs "on the contrary" for a stronger disagreement or opposition.

yet this is

Uses "yet" to signal a contrast or unexpected situation.

rather this is

Omits the "but" for a more concise contrasting statement.

FAQs

How can I rephrase "but rather is this" for better clarity?

You can replace "but rather is this" with alternatives like "but instead this is", "but rather it is this", or "however this is" to enhance grammatical flow.

What's wrong with using "but rather is this"?

While understandable, "but rather is this" can sound awkward or non-standard. More common and clearer alternatives exist, making your writing more accessible and professional.

Is "but rather is this" grammatically incorrect?

It's not strictly ungrammatical, but it deviates from typical English sentence structure. Rephrasing it often results in a more grammatically sound and easily understood sentence.

What can I say instead of "but rather is this" in academic writing?

In academic writing, opt for more formal and clear alternatives such as "but instead this is", "however this is", or restructure the sentence to use a simple "however" or "in contrast".