Continuing our three-part series, this issue of Grammatically Correct explores the class of conjunctions known as correlative. Correlative conjunctions form a class of coordinating conjunction that has two parts. For example, the neither/nor combination and the either/or combination are both correlative conjunctions.

Correlative conjunctions join similar elements (words, groups of words, or sentences). An important aspect of using correlative conjunctions is balance. Each word, group of words, or phrase that comes after the correlative conjunction must be grammatically equivalent. For example, noun paired with noun, verb paired with verb, and so on. The sentences below demonstrate this relationship:

Example 1: Simon enjoys both shrimp and lobster.

This correlative conjunction set is effective because the noun shrimp is paired with equivalent noun lobster. Example two shows a more complex example of grammatical equivalency.

Example 2:  Dr. Lister is not only responsible for promoting anti-septic use in surgery but also recognized for encouraging Louis Pasteur’s work.

Below is a list of the most common correlative conjunction pairs. A sample sentence is given for each pair.

• Both/and: Howard Hughes was both an aviator and an executive.
• Either/or: We will go  either to Scotland or to Ireland during summer vacation.
• Neither/nor: My cat will eat neither Meow Mix nor Friskies brand food.
• Not only/ but also: On Black Friday, the mall is not only extremely crowded but also terribly noisy.
• Whether/or: Gary had trouble deciding whether to wait for the ambulance or to drive to the emergency room.

Up to this point, we have mainly focused on giving examples of correlative conjunctions used in simple sentences. However, certain correlatives may be used to combine two independent clauses into a compound sentence. The correlative pairs either/or, neither/nor, and not only/but also can function in such a way. This technique works best when the first word of the pair (either, not only) is used at the beginning of a sentence. Let us look at a couple of examples:

Example 1: Either Elvis is back from the dead, or he has always lived in Las Vegas.

Example 2: Not only am I a member of Gamma Beta Phi, but I am also a volunteer at
                   the ASPCA.

Finally, let us look at a sentence where the words/phrases are not equal, to provide a clearer idea of what to avoid.

Example 1: My sister is not only gracious but also a lawyer.

In the example above, the adjective gracious is paired with the noun lawyer. Since the two parts of speech are not equivalent, the sentence needs revision. To fix this example, the writer could replace lawyer with another adjective that describes his/her sister.

In addition to our website, this week we recommend EnglishChick’s grammar lessons page. The English Chick, an American technical writer, provides free grammar lessons about punctuation, confused words/common mistakes, spelling, and remedial grammar. Visit EnglishChick’s grammar webpage at http://www.englishchick.com/grammar/.

Fill in the blanks in the following examples with the appropriate correlative conjunction pairs. In some examples, more than one correlative conjunction may be appropriate.

1. I went to (____) the grocery store (___) the mall today.

2. We have decided to purchase (____) a Rottweiler (___) a Chihuaha.

3. (____) has the President dramatically overextended the budget, (_____) he raised new conflicts in world diplomacy.

    Answers
    1.    I went to both the grocery store and the mall today.
           (Neither/nor, and not only/but also will work here as well)

    2.   We have decided to purchase either a Rottweiler or a Chihuaha.
          (Neither/nor, either/or, and both/and will also work in this sentence)

    3.   Not only has the President dramatically overextended the budget, but he also raised new conflicts in world diplomacy.
    (Neither/nor will also work here)

Grammatically Correct is a grammar tip of the week created by Academic Center Peer Writing Tutors at the University of Houston-Victoria in Victoria, Texas.

Comments about this newsletter should be directed to Summer Leibensperger, leibenspergers@uhv.edu.

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