Lest anyone think Wednesday was a fluke, here you see it again — the ABT structure in the opening of almost all stories on the front page of the NY Times.  For today you see 3 of 6 stories start their second paragraph with “but.”  Two of the others have the ABT structure without saying “but.”

COUNT THE BUTS. Stories on the front page of the NY Times cannot afford to ramble or confuse. They need to engage the narrative part of the brain. They do this with the ABT structure. The writers and editors all know it, they just haven’t had a simple term for it.

BUT IT HAPPENS EVERY DAY

There it is again, the ABT in plain sight on the front page of the NY Times.  Three of six stories start their second paragraph with “But.”  It’s not a coincidence.  It’s the ABT.  It’s everywhere.