Turnbull at once reaffirms his appreciation of Mrs. Jones while he remains firm on the principle. In doing so, he avoids connecting the two thoughts with “but,” implicitly using “and” instead. “But,” sometimes called the “great eraser,” has a tendency to negate the first thing you say by implying that only one of two statements can be true, making it either/or. “And” underscores the more complex reality that both thoughts can be true at the same time. It helps ensure both that Mrs. Jones feels heard and appreciated and that she can’t frame Turnbull as wrongly untrusting.
