Nothing but means only, just, nothing except: the drawer contained nothing but old receipts. The word after but sets the tone: nothing but trouble is all trouble, nothing but respect is pure respect. Do nothing but means do one thing all the time: he did nothing but complain.
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nothing but + noun / do nothing but + base verb
- The drawer contained nothing but old receipts.
- I have nothing but respect for the volunteers.
- He did nothing but check his phone during the journey.
What changed
First versionHe did nothing but to check his phone during the journey.
RevisionHe did nothing but check his phone during the journey.
Checking a phone is an action, so to check seems like the natural form. But after do nothing but comes the bare verb: did nothing but check. The tense is already shown in did, so checked isn't needed either.
Anything but is the opposite, not at all: anything but friendly. Nothing but kindness means only kindness. All but means almost: all but finished. Three similar pairs, three different logics.
Your turn
Choose the form after did nothing but: She did nothing but ___ for the delayed bus.
Show the answer
wait — After did nothing but you need wait without to. The tense is already in did, so the verb after but stays in the base form.
Describe a trip or a day when someone kept doing the same thing. Use do nothing but.
My brother did nothing but talk about football for the whole trip.
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