Correlative Conjunctions: A Writer's Guide

Correlative conjunctions are conjunctions used in pairs, such as either...or, to join sentence elements of equal grammatical rank. One of the most common writing flaws, even among professional writers, is the misuse of correlative conjunctions.

The main correlative conjunctions are both...and, either...or, neither...nor, not only...but (also), not so much...as, and whether...or.

The basic rule for the use of correlative conjunctions is simple: use parallel grammatical constructions after each member of the pair. Correlative conjunctions may join nouns ("both apples and oranges"), adjectives ("either rainy or snowy"), phrases ("neither at the gate nor in the field"), or clauses ("whether you are late or I am early").

Nevertheless, a writer caught up in the emotion of expressing an idea may lose track of the techniques necessary to convey that idea clearly to readers, who, after all, can read only the writer's actual words, not the writer's mind. Thus caught up, a writer may use correlative conjunctions to connect two grammatically dissimilar elements.

In such a case, the writer, through the correlatives, signals readers in big red letters "Notice-parallelism ahead" and then fails to deliver the promised parallelism. Readers, depending on their own level of knowledge about correlatives, may feel either vaguely confused or downright cheated. In many cases, they will have to reread the passage to get the right sense out of it.

By creating confusion and ignoring stylistic precision and logic, the writer runs the terrible risk of appearing to be intellectually confused, imprecise, and illogical. What reader would trust the content judgments of such a writer?

To avoid giving those negative impressions, a careful writer will install a silent mental alarm that goes off at the first thought of using correlative conjunctions. The second thought will be "I'm going to do this right."

No matter how convoluted the problem seems at first, the solution is nearly always simple, often just a matter of moving the first correlative member and/or adding or deleting a word or two. Here are some common types of correlative-conjunction problems and their possible solutions.

Both...and. Faulty: "She gave copies both to her teacher and her tutor." Both is followed by a prepositional phrase, but and is followed by a noun. Possible solutions: "She gave copies both to her teacher and to her tutor" (two parallel prepositional phrases) or "She gave copies to both her teacher and her tutor" (two parallel nouns).

Either...or. Faulty: "The tool was either broken or he did not know how to use it." Either is followed by a verb, but or is followed by a clause. Possible solution: "Either the tool was broken or he did not know how to use it" (two parallel clauses).

Neither...nor. Faulty: "The book was neither informative nor did I find it entertaining." Neither is followed by an adjective, but nor is followed by a clause. Possible solution: "The book was neither informative nor entertaining" (two parallel adjectives).

Not only...but (also). Faulty: "Susan not only has been successful in weightlifting but also in business." Not only is followed by a verb, but but also is followed by a prepositional phrase. Possible solution: "Susan has been successful not only in weightlifting but also in business" (two parallel prepositional phrases).

Not only has equivalents, such as not alone, not entirely, and not merely. The same correlative-conjunction rule applies to them.

But also has equivalents as well, such as but furthermore, but in addition, and but moreover. Here, too, the same correlative-conjunction rule applies.

Sometimes the word also is not necessary. When the second element serves not as an added factor but rather as an intensifier of the first element, the also should be dropped. For example: "She not only accepted his familiarity but encouraged it."

Not so much...as. Faulty: "Joe's parents were upset not so much that he broke the vase as at his lying about it." Not so much is followed by a clause, but as is followed by a prepositional phrase. Possible solutions: "Joe's parents were upset not so much that he broke the vase as that he lied about it" (two parallel clauses) or "Joe's parents were upset not so much at his breaking the vase as at his lying about it" (two parallel prepositional phrases).

Whether...or. Faulty: "Kay was undecided whether she should go to the party or to stay home." Whether is followed by a clause, but or is followed by an infinitive phrase. Possible solutions: "Kay was undecided whether she should go to the party or she should stay home" ( two parallel clauses) or "Kay was undecided whether to go to the party or to stay home" (two parallel infinitive phrases).

When not follows whether...or, a parallel construction becomes unnecessary. For example: "I wondered whether he would come or not."
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Bernstein, Theodore M. The Careful Writer. New York: Free Press-Simon & Schuster, 1998.

The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press, 1989.