Grammar-Quizzes › Connectors › Coordinators › Both…and
Both…and (conjunction)
Join sentence elements with paired expressions
Both…and / Not only but also
| BOTH… AND |
|---|
Both is paired with and to add emphasis to two coordinated elements in a sentence. Both is a focusing adverb; and is a coordinator. Together, they are a "correlative conjunction". Note the word "conjunction " is reserved for addition, not a connective word. See And, Or But and Connector Overview. |
| NOUN PHRASES |
Both the movie and the play were good. (plural verb form) |
I liked both the movie and the play. |
| MODIFIERS |
The actors were both engaging and skillful in their performances. (Adj) |
The plot moved both swiftly and artfully throughout the movie. (Adv) |
The movie is being shown both at The Fox Theater and in neighborhood theaters. (Prep Phrase) |
| VERBS |
Ebert both likes and recommends the movie. |
| INFINITIVES & GERUNDS |
The directors wanted both to win and to receive recognition for their work. |
The producers ended up both extending and expanding their filming hours. |
| NOT ONLY…BUT ALSO |
|---|
Not only and also are paired with but to add emphasis to two coordinated elements in a sentence. Only and also are focusing adverbs, not is a negative adverb and but is a coordinator for contrast. This paired expression is also called a "correlative conjunction". |
| NOUN PHRASES |
Not only the movie but also the play was good. (verb agrees with 2nd noun) |
I liked not only the movie but also the play. |
| MODIFIERS |
The actors were not only engaging but also skillful in their performances. |
The plot moved not only swiftly but also artfully throughout the movie. |
The movie is being shown not only at the Fox Theater but also neighborhood theaters. |
| VERBS |
Ebert not only likes but also recommends the movie. |
| INFINITIVES & GERUNDS |
The directors wanted not only to win but also to receive recognition for their work. |
The producers ended up not only extending but also expanding their filming hours. |
theater US-Eng; theatre Br-Eng
The focusing adverbs both, only and also draw attention to particular parts of the sentence. See focusing adverbs.
Also see Negatives, Either…or / Neither…nor and 
Pop-Q – Or.
Also see Conjunction vs. Disjunction (and, or, not diagrams).
Not only… but
Move Auxiliary Verb Forward
Not only with an auxiliary verb
| NO AUXILIARY ADDED |
|---|
When not only is used at the beginning of a sentence, and it joins like (same form) elements of a sentence, no auxiliary verb is used. This is a correlative conjunction. |
| WORDS AND PHRASES |
Not only you but also I applauded the performance. (noun + noun) You and I applauded the performance. |
I like not only to watch movies but also to see plays. (infinitive + infinitive) I like to watch movies and see plays. |
| AUXILIARY BEFORE SUBJECT AND VERB |
|---|
When not only is used at the beginning of a sentence and joins two clauses, the auxiliary verb of the not only clause is placed before the subject. This is a coordinating conjunction. |
| CLAUSES |
Not only did I applaud, but I also stood up. I applauded the performance, and I stood up. |
Not only do I like to watch movies, but I also like to see plays. I like to watch movies, and I like to see plays. |
See focusing adverbs.
Punctuation
Set off a clause with a comma
Words and Phrases vs. Clauses
| WORDS AND PHRASES |
|---|
|
We both applauded and stood up. (no comma) We both clapped our hands and stomped our feet. |
They not only liked the movie but also loved the play. We not only applauded but also stood up. |
No comma is needed when joining equivalent sub-clausal elements: noun-noun, modifier-modifier, verb-verb or verb-phrase--verb-phrase. | CLAUSES |
|---|
|
We both applauded, and we stood up. We both clapped our hands, and we stomped our feet. |
They not only liked the movie, but they also loved the play. We not only applauded, but we also stood up. |
A Also see Independent clauses.
Neither…nor
Express not one or the other—both not
Neither…nor (but not either…or)
| NEITHER…NOR |
|---|
Use neither…nor for negative addition [Not X AND not ]. When neither… nor begins a sentence and joins two verbs, the auxiliary verb precedes the subject. Neither…nor is singular in agreement. |
| NOUNS |
Neither the movie nor the play was good. (singular verb form) |
I liked neither the movie nor the play. |
| MODIFIERS |
The plot was neither believable nor engaging. |
The director spoke neither specifically nor excessively about the project. |
| INFINITIVES & GERUNDS |
The actors tried neither to overplay nor to underplay their roles. |
They objected to the movie neither following the book nor keeping the central theme. |
| VERBS |
I neither liked nor would recommend the movie. |
Neither did I like nor would I recommend the movie.¹ |
| EITHER …OR (PREFERENCE!) |
|---|
The expression either…or is not related to neither nor. In contrast, it indicates (1) "no particular preference", one or the other (You can have either this one or that one.) or (2) an ultimatum (Either you stop that or I will make you stop that.) |
| NOUNS |
Either the movie or the play was good. I can't remember. |
I didn't like either the movie or the play. They were both bad. |
| MODIFIERS |
The plot was either believable or unbelievable depending on the viewer's perspective. |
The director spoke either briefly or excessively about his project depending on how much free time he had. (one or the other) |
| INFINITIVES & GERUNDS |
The actors tried either to overplay or to underplay their roles. (I don't know what they did, but it wasn't effective in the movie.) (one or the other) |
They objected to either following the book or keeping the central theme. (one or the other) |
| VERBS |
Either I like a movie or I hate it. There is nothing in-between. (one or the other) |
|
¹Move the auxiliary verb in front of the subject when beginning with a negative. (neither is a focusing adverb, nor is a coordinator). Other examples of initial negatives and subject-auxiliary inversion: Negative Adverbs. Also see Negatives in Adverbs.
Either…or
Express no remembrance or no preference
Either…or / Either…or (else)
| EITHER… OR |
|---|
The paired conjunction either…or expresses that someone does not remember or does not have a preference (doesn't wish to decide). |
Either you ate the pie or I ate it. I can't remember who did. (one or the other) |
Either you can eat the pie or I'll eat it. I don't really care who eats it. (no preference) |
| EITHER… OR ELSE |
|---|
The conditional expression either…or else expresses the consequence of a particular action. It is often used as a mild threat. Including else is optional. |
Either you eat the pie, or (else) I will. (informal Eng. with "either") |
You eat the pie. Otherwise, I will. (condition, alternative) |
Common Mistakes
Errors and Solutions
Error and Solution
| INCORRECT |
|---|
*Not only the Grand Canyon is deep but also is wide. |
*Not only the jokes but also the dialog were good. |
*Neither I took vacation nor I asked for sick leave. |
*Neither I nor my sons carries a mobile phone. (Must compare two singular items) |
| SOLUTION |
|---|
Not only is the Grand Canyon deep but also wide. (adjective + adjective) When Not only…but also begins a sentence and joins two verbs, the axillary verb precedes the subject. |
Not only the jokes but also the dialog was good. (The verb agrees with closest noun.)
|
Neither did I take vacation, nor did I ask for sick leave. |
Neither I nor my son carries a mobile phone.
|
*Yellow highlighted words are examples of incorrect usage.
Pop-Q "Not only"
Practice 1
Office Issues (disagreements)
Coordinate the sentence parts.
- Select the word or phrase from the list that best completes the sentence.
- Compare your responses to the feedback by clicking the "Check" or "Check 1-10" button.
Practice 2
My Brother and I
Coordinate the sentence parts.
- Select the response from the list that best completes the sentence.
- Compare your responses to the feedback by clicking the "Check" or "Check 11-20" button.