may … but (unexpected)

In the English Grammar Profile, B2 point 146 in MODALITY for OPINIONs is defined as:

‘may’ … ‘but’ to express an unexpected point of view.

Here are some expert examples:

You may not be able to leave every job where you‘re treated unfairly,

but in a perfect world, one without racism and sexism and the frictions associated with finding a new job,

 it‘s your sense of fairness that would let you know when it was time to move on.

listen

You may have no tongue, but there is nothing wrong with your ears.

listen

A search on iWeb corpus for may * * * * but

1 MAY NOT REALIZE IT, BUT 788

  Journal Advocate

A patient may not realize it, but exercise stimulates the brain.

2 MAY NOT BE PERFECT, BUT 545
3 MAY NOT KNOW THIS, BUT 528
4 MAY NOT KNOW IT, BUT 491
5 MAY NOT LIKE IT, BUT 430
6 MAY TAKE SOME TIME, BUT 360
7 MAY NOT BE TRUE, BUT 328
8 MAY BE THE CASE, BUT 310
9 MAY NOT BE EASY, BUT 295
10 MAY TAKE A WHILE, BUT 281
11 MAY COME AND GO, BUT 265
12 MAY NOT SEEM LIKE MUCH BUT 204
13 MAY BE THE SAME, BUT 183
14 MAY NOT BE NECESSARY, BUT 181
15 MAY HAVE MISSED IT, BUT 175
16 MAY NOT BE FOR EVERYONE BUT 171
17 MAY NOT SOUND LIKE MUCH BUT 158
18 MAY JUST BE ME, BUT 153
19 MAY NOT REALIZE THIS, BUT 144
20 MAY ALREADY KNOW THIS, BUT 140

We had AI complete the above results:

• He may not be perfect, but practice makes perfect.
• She may not know this, but I’ll enlighten her.
• They may not know it, but the truth will come out.
• The team may not like it, but it’s for their own good.
• It may take some time, but patience pays off.
• It may not be true, but it’s worth considering.
• The situation may be the case, but further investigation is needed.
• It may not be easy, but it’s worth the effort.
• It may take a while, but good things come to those who wait.
• Love may come and go, but memories last forever.
• It may not seem like much, but every little bit counts.
• The results may be the same, but there’s always a twist.
• It may not be necessary, but it’s a nice addition.
• You may have missed it, but let me catch you up.
• It may not be for everyone, but it suits my taste.
• It may not sound like much, but it’s a big deal to me.
• It may just be me, but I have a feeling about it.
• You may not realize this, but let me enlighten you.
• You may already know this, but let me refresh your memory.

1 MAY BE TRUE, BUT 1971

2 MAY SEEM OBVIOUS, BUT 1861

  Forbes

17 Questions You Should Ask Yourself Before Starting A Business

This may seem obvious, but sometimes we want to start a business without even thinking about the why.

3 MAY BE WRONG, BUT 1351
4 MAY BE SMALL, BUT 1321
5 MAY BE OVER, BUT 849
6 MAY SOUND OBVIOUS, BUT 827
7 MAY SOUND STRANGE, BUT 696
8 MAY BE DIFFERENT, BUT 695
9 MAY SOUND SILLY, BUT 655
10 MAY BE USED, BUT 556
11 MAY SOUND SIMPLE, BUT 472
12 MAY BE RIGHT, BUT 469
13 MAY BE GONE, BUT 455
14 MAY HAVE NO CHOICE BUT 430
15 MAY BE SO, BUT 420
16 MAY SOUND CRAZY, BUT 416
17 MAY HAVE CHANGED, BUT 410
18 MAY BE DIFFICULT, BUT 403
19 MAY SEEM DAUNTING, BUT 398
20 MAY SEEM SIMPLE, BUT 398

The following example of our structure is actually C1.

You may well value both sides of each pair, but the MBTI would force you to choose one.

listen