CORRELATIVE CONJUNCTIONS

FOCUS 1. CORRELATIVE CONJUNCTIONS FOR EMPHASIS

Examples Coordinating Conjunctions Correlative Conjunctions

Explanations Coordinating conjunctions and correlative conjunctions can be used to show different types of relationships:

And

Bothand Not onlybut also Additive Eitheror

Or
Neithernor Nor

Alternative
Negative

In general, the correlative conjunctions are more emphatic.

Examples

Explanations

Additive Relationships: 1. A: I hope Pablo and Karl Less emphasis come to the party next Saturday. B: Youre in luck! Both More emphasis Karl and Pablo are coming. 2. C: I hope Pablo is coming to the party next Saturday. D: Guess what! Not only is Pablo coming, but Karl is also. Even greater emphasis (not only usually comes before already known information, and but introduces new or surprising information)

Examples
3. A: Can you come on Wednesday or Thursday? B: Yes, I can come on either Wednesday or Thursday. 4. A: Milly doesnt eat candy, nor do I. B: You mean neither you nor Milly has a sweet tooth?

Explanation Alternative Relationships Less emphasis

Negative Additive Relationships: Nor = less emphasis Neithernor = more emphasis

EXERCISE 1
PRESIDENTS DAY IS US FEDERAL HOLIDAY CELEBRATED HONOR OF GEORGE WASHINGTON.
ON THE THIRD

MONDAY OF FEBRUARY IN

1.

2.

Presidents Day and Valentines Day arent in February, are they? YES Answer: Yes, both Presidents Day and Valentines Day are in February. Cameroon and Algeria are in South America, arent they? NO Answer: No, neither Cameroon nor Algeria is in South America.

3.

4.

Honey or sugar can be used to sweeten lemonade, cant it? YES Answer: Yes, either honey or sugar can be used to sweeten lemonade. Whales and dolphins are members of the fish family, arent they? NO Answer: No, not only whales but also dolphins are mammals.

5.

6.

Niagara Falls is situated in Brazil and Uruguay, isnt it? NO Answer: No, Niagara Falls is situated neither in Brazil nor in Uruguay. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Jesse Jackson were prominent black lawyers, werent they? NO Answer: No, both Martin Luther King Jr. and Jesse Jackson were prominent ministers.

7.

8.

You can travel from California to Hawaii by boat or airplane, cant you? YES Answer: Yes, you can travel from California to Hawaii by either boat or airplane. Ho Chi Minh City and Saigon refer to different places in Vietnam, dont they? NO Answer: No, both Ho Chi Minh City and Saigon refer to the same city in Vietnam.

EXERCISE 2

1.

2.

3.

4.

Shirley Temple could not only dance but also sing. The language laboratory is great for improving not only pronunciation but also listening comprehension. Nola should not only exercise twice a week but also go on a diet. Becky has to not only take a test on Friday but also finish a project.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Thomas Jefferson was not only a great politician but also an inventor. The dictionary shows not only the pronunciation of a word but also the part of speech. The International Student Office will help you not only to locate an apartment but also to get a part-time job. It rained all day not only last Tuesday but also last Wednesday.

FOCUS 2. JOINING PHRASES AND CLAUSES WITH CORRELATIVE CONJUNCTIONS

Examples Explanations 1. Neither the pedestrian nor the All four bicyclist saw the car correlative approaching. conjunction can 2. Mary will not only complete her join phrases. coursework but also write her masters thesis by June. 3. Mrs. Thomas was both surprised and jubilant that her daughter was awarded scholarship. 4. Mark usually eats either at home or on campus.

Examples 5. Either the teacher has to slow down the lecture pace or the students need to make notes faster. 6. Not only was Mr. Jones strict but he was also unfair.

Explanation Only two of the correlative conjunction pairs can join clauses

7. Not only is she taking In combinations physics but she is also with not onlybut taking biology. also, the position 8. NOT: Not only she is of the subject taking physics but she is following not only is inverted with the also taking biology.

FOCUS 3. PARALLELISM: BEING CONCISE

Parallelism means that each item in a list or comparison/contrast follows the same grammatical pattern. If the first item is a noun, make all others nouns; If it is a phrase, make all the others phrases; If it is a clause, make all the others clauses.

Not Parallel

Parallel

1. Taking a class on a 1. Taking a class on a pass/fail basis is pass/fail basis is sometimes better sometimes better than to get a grade of than getting a grade C. of C.
2. My grandmother not only speaks four languages but also she understands six others. 2. My grandmother not only speaks four languages but also understands six others.

CONNECTING SIMILAR STRUCTURES: A. BOTHAND

1.

2.

Our grammar teacher is sick today. Our reading teacher is sick today. Both our grammar teacher and our reading teacher are sick today. (connecting two noun subjects) I have been having trouble with grammar. I have been having trouble with reading. I have been having trouble with both grammar and reading. (connecting two noun objects)

BOTHAND
3.

4.

Mike jogs every morning. He does push-ups every morning. Mike both jogs and does push-ups every morning. (connecting two verbs) There is more food on the table. There is more food in the refrigerator. There is more food both on the table and in the refrigerator. (connecting two prepositional phrases)

BOTHAND: RULES
Subjects joined by bothand always take a plural verb. Bothand are usually used to connect words and phrases that are similar in structure. They are rarely used to connect complete sentences.

CONNECTING SIMILAR STRUCTURES: B. NOT ONLYBUT ALSO

Tom has a car. He has a motorcycle. Tom has not only a car but also a motorcycle. (connecting two noun objects) He is a fast driver. He is a good driver. He is not only a fast driver but also a good one. (connecting two adjectives + nouns) He repairs motorcycle. He teaches motorcycle repair. He not only repairs motorcycle, but also teaches motorcycle repair. (connecting two verbs)

NOT ONLYBUT ALSO: RULES

When not onlybut also are used to connect similar structures, they are placed as close as possible to the structures they identify. Correct: It is not only a big apartment but also an inexpensive one. Incorrect: It not only is a big apartment but also an inexpensive one.

NOT ONLYBUT ALSO: RULES

Singular subject joined by them, take a singular verb after but also. Plural subjects joined by them, take a plural verb after but also. Not only Maria but also Sandra is coming to the party. Not only the teachers but also the students want one week less of classes.

If one subject is singular and the other subject is plural, the verb agrees with the subject after but also, the subject closest to the verb. Not only the director, but also the teachers want one week less of classes. Not only the teachers, but also the director wants one week less of classes.

CONNECTING SIMILAR STRUCTURES: C. EITHEROR

You must tell the truth. You must go to jail. You must either tell the truth or go to jail. (connecting two verb phrases) A person is honest. A person is dishonest. A person is either honest or dishonest. (connecting two adjectives) I will see you at home. I will see you in jail. I will see you either at home or in jail. (connecting two prepositional phrases) I can call your father. I can call your mother. I can call either your father or your mother. (connecting two noun objects)

EITHEROR: RULES
All subjects in the previous sentences are the same. If they are different, the sentences cannot be connected. E.g. You will the truth. I will report you to the police. Incorrect: You will either tell the truth or report you to the police.

EITHEROR
The correlative conjunctions eitheror mean one or the other. They indicate a choice or alternative and connect two affirmative ideas. When two verbs or verb phrases are connected with auxiliaries, either follows the auxiliary verb. The auxiliary is not repeated after or. You must either tell the truth or go to jail. He has either lost his watch or misplaced it. She is either crying or laughing very hard.

EITHEROR
When there are two auxiliary verbs, either follows the first one. (1) (2) You have either been sleeping or watching TV. When using eitheror to connect similar structures, remember to place either as close as possible to the structure it is identifying. Correct: I can call either your father or your mother. Incorrect: I can either call your father or your mother.

EITHEROR

Singular subjects joined by them take a singular verb after or. Plural subjects joined by them take a plural verb after or. Either my roommate or I am going to go to the party. Either my parents or my sisters are going to visit me this summer.

If one subject is singular and the other subject is plural, the verb agrees with the subject after or, that is the subject closest to the verb. Either my parents or my sister is going to visit me. Either my sister or my parents are going to visit me.

CONNECTING SIMILAR STRUCTURES: D. NEITHERNOR

Money is not important to me. Success is not important to me. Neither money nor success is important to me. (connecting two noun subjects) I dont want fortune. I dont want fame. I want neither fame nor fortune. (connecting two noun objects) This coffee is not good. It isnt hot. This coffee is neither good nor hot. (connecting two adjectives)

Your son isnt outside. He isnt inside. Your son is neither outside nor inside. (connecting two adverbs) Sue has not arrived. Sue has not called. Sue has neither arrived nor called. (connecting two verbs)

NEITHERNOR
The correlative conjunctions neithernor mean not one or the other. They connect two negative ideas. When two verb phrases are connected with auxiliaries, neither follows the auxiliary verb. The auxiliary is not repeated after nor. I have neither finished my composition nor completed the reading assignments. Sue is neither coming nor planning to call

NEITHER..NOR
When there are two auxiliary verbs, neither follows the first. (1) (2) I have neither been sleeping nor watching TV. When they connect similar structures, neither I placed as close as possible to the structure it is identifying. Correct: I am neither happy nor sad today. Incorrect: I neither am happy or sad today.

NEITHERNOR
Singular subjects joined by them take a singular verb after nor. Plural subjects joined by them take a plural verb after nor. Neither Maria nor Sandra is coming to the party. Neither the teachers nor the students want an extra week of classes.

NEITHERNOR
If one subject is singular and the other subject is plural, the verb agrees with the subject after nor, that is, the subject closest to the verb. Neither the director nor the teachers want an extra week of classes. Neither the teachers nor the director wants an extra week of classes. Neithernor are usually used to connect words and phrases that are similar in structure. They are rarely used to connect complete sentences.

NOT PARALLEL Clause/Noun Phrase

PARALLEL

USES In formal usage, the two phrases that correlative conjunctions join must have the same grammatical structures. If they do not, the sentence will not be parallel and should be rephrased.

Noun Phrase/ Noun Phrase 1. Not only was he an 2. He was not only an honors student but honors student but also a scholarship also a scholarship recipient. recipient.

Gerund/Infinitive Gerund/Gerund 3. Both gaining work 4. Both gaining work experience and to experience and earn academic earning academic credit are important credit are important benefits of an benefits of an internship. internship.

NOT CONCISE
5. She knew either that she needed an A or that she needed a B to pass the course.

CONCISE
6. She knew that she needed an A or a B to pass the course.

USES
In addition, parallel structures should be CONCISE without unnecessary repetition.

7. Not only was 8. Not only John but John disqualified also Betty was because of poor disqualified attendance but because of poor Betty was also attendance. disqualified for poor attendance.

EXERCISE 5 ANSWERS

3. 4.

5. 6. 7.

Not only the New York Times but also the Los Angeles Times carried the story of the train disaster in Algeria. Juanita will major both in English and in Sociology. (OR: Juanita will major in both English and Sociology). Either the Boston Red Sox or the Detroit Tigers made the finals in the baseball competition. Suzuki found neither her watch nor her wallet. OK.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

Mr. Humprey thinks that I should either cancel or postpone the meeting with my advisor. I am going not only to the dentist but also to the barber tomorrow. Mary is going to either quit her job or rearrange her work schedule to take astronomy. I hope that the musicians are both wellrehearsed and calm before the concert. Todd neither saw nor talked to his roommate, Bill. Both a bank card and cash are necessary for any trip. Neither my two daughters nor my son wants to an aisle seat on the airplane.

EXERCISE 6 - ANSWERS
3. Now having to choose between either a family or a career, 6. Not only are couples having fewer children, but they are also deciding to have no children at all. 7. On the other hand, some singles are deciding to either raise their own or adopt children by themselves. 8. In addition, many same-sex partners are choosing not only to form binding relationship but also becoming parents. 9. In the past, women worked either to achieve personal satisfaction or to earn extra money for luxuries.

10. Today, both the husband and the wife must work in order to survive. 12. Now either the husband or the wife might do the cooking and cleaning. 13. Because of both greater stress of modern life and the greater freedom that each partner feels, 14. Neither the rich nor the poor are immune. 17. Not only do many people get divorced but these same people also get remarried.