Correlative conjunctions work together in pairs. We use them to link one part of a sentence to another.
The main correlative conjunctions we can use are ‘either… or’, ‘neither… nor’, ‘both… and’ and ‘not only… but also.’
‘Either… or’ is used to link two choices. We put ‘either’ before the first choice. We put ‘or’ between the two choices:
‘Neither… nor’ is used to link two choices that are not available. Again, we put ‘neither’ before, and ‘nor’ between:
Note: When we use ‘either… or’ or ‘neither… nor’, we have two choices. The verb must agree with the second subject. |
– Neither Tom nor Ryan is coming to the party. (Ryan is singular.) NOT: |
‘Both… and’ is used to link two things that are equally included. Again, we put ‘both’ before, and ‘and’ between:
Note: When we use ‘both… and’, the verb is always plural because both things are equally included. |
– Both Karen and Lucy are eating. |
Let’s summarize this information:
‘Not only… but also’ is similar to ‘both… and’. It is used to link two things that are equally included. Usually, ‘not only’ is before something we expect, and ‘but also’ is before something we do not expect:
Note: Remember the ‘either… or’ and ‘neither… nor’ rule? When we use ‘not only… but also’, the verb must also agree with the second subject. |
– Not only my friends, but also my Mother wants to visit. (Mother is singular.) NOT: |
Here’s a good video from 7ESL explaining correlative conjunctions and their usage:
See also:
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