What Are Correlative Conjunctions?
The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation
What Are Correlative Conjunctions?
A conjunction is a part of speech that connects words, phrases, or clauses. The two types of conjunctions are coordinating conjunctions and subordinating conjunctions.
Correlative conjunctions are coordinating conjunctions used in pairs. They connect two items of equal rank and grammatical unit. Some common correlative conjunctions include:
| either…or | neither…nor | both…and |
| not only…but also | as…so | rather…than |
| not…but | whether…or | as many…as |
Examples
We’ll go to either the park or the library.
Katy is both smart and funny.
Bob would rather watch grass grow than iron his shirts.
Correlative conjunctions provide a succinct structure that lets you express relations between items.
How to Use Correlative Conjunctions
Ensuring parallelism is important when using correlative conjunctions. Consider the following sentences:
Tonight’s lecture will address both how to manage your time and your schedule.
The referees can neither decide on the right call, nor can they agree on who committed the foul.
We probably understand what these statements are saying, but they are not concise because they are not parallel.
The first sentence uses a correlative conjunction to pair a phrase (how to manage your time) and a noun (schedule).
The second connects a verb (decide) and a clause (they agree on who committed the foul). The repetition of the auxiliary can further clouds the construction.
Now let’s look the same sentences after revising them to be parallel:
Tonight’s lecture will address how to manage both your time and your schedule.
The referees can neither decide on the right call nor agree on who committed the foul.
We have made them clearer by pairing units of equal rank and type: time and schedule (nouns), decide and agree (verbs).
Correlative Conjunctions: Other Grammatical Units
In addition to pairing nouns, verbs, and adjectives, correlative conjunctions can join other grammatical elements.
Adverbs
Archie cuts hair neither properly nor evenly.Prepositional phrases
The book is not in the bookcase but on the desk.Independent clauses
Not only did Native Americans invent the kayak and the toboggan, but they also created the sport now known as lacrosse.Dependent clauses
Both how the moose entered the park and why it traveled so far were questions on the ranger’s mind.
Correlative Conjunctions: Subject-Verb Agreement
Verbs in correlative conjunctions will typically agree with the subject that is closest to the verb unless the correlative conjunction is both…and.
Examples
Neither the dog nor the cat is sleeping right now.
Neither the dog nor the cats are sleeping right now.
Neither the cats nor the dog is sleeping right now.Both the dog and the cat are sleeping right now.
Both the dog and the cats are sleeping right now.
Both the cats and the dog are sleeping right now.
If constructions with a singular verb following both a plural and a singular subject sound awkward to you (e.g., neither the cats nor the dog is sleeping right now), you can choose to always place the plural subject nearest to the verb (neither the dog nor the cats are sleeping right now).
Correlative Conjunctions: Punctuation
Correlative conjunctions might sometimes make us feel that we should include punctuation.
Examples
Shane is not aloof, but stoic.
Grace not only paints portraits, but also writes stories.
Such punctuation for pause and emphasis can be understood as a matter of writer style and preference in formats such as fiction and personal correspondence. In daily formal writing, however, we would not punctuate these constructions:
Shane is not aloof but stoic.
Grace not only paints portraits but also writes stories.
The exception to this is when the second part of the correlative conjunction introduces an independent clause.
Examples
As Sonia thinks, so will she typically act.
Either we will build a birdhouse, or we will chop wood for the fire.
Not only will the leaves soon change colors, but they also will fall to the ground. (Note that they splits the correlative component but also; in this construction, but is further operating as a coordinating conjunction joining two independent clauses. The separation is needed to maintain parallelism.)
Related Topics
Simple Words, Fancy Label
Practicing Parallelism
Pop Quiz
Identify the correlative conjunctions in the following sentences and determine if they are parallel or not parallel. If not, make them parallel.
1. That was both a long walk and tiring. [parallel / not parallel]
2. The Admirals are not only fast but also a strong team. [parallel / not parallel]
3. Would you rather see the blues band than stopping by the reggae club? [parallel / not parallel]
4. Not one but two ravens perched on top of the gas grill today. [parallel / not parallel]
5. As many boys as girls will attend the summer band camp. [parallel / not parallel]
Pop Quiz Answers
1. That was both a long walk and tiring. not parallel
Revision: That walk was both long and tiring. (parallel adjectives)
2. The Admirals are not only fast but also a strong team. not parallel
Revision: The Admirals are not only fast but also strong. (parallel adjectives)
3. Would you rather see the blues band than stopping by the reggae club? not parallel
Revision: Would you rather see the blues band than stop by the reggae club? (parallel verbs)
4. Not one but two ravens perched on top of the gas grill today. parallel
5. As many boys as girls will attend the summer band camp. parallel
If the article or the existing discussions do not address a thought or question you have on the subject, please use the "Comment" box at the bottom of this page.
My local grocery store’s weekly flyer often contains sentences like this: “This week we’re featuring not just one, but two flavours of ice cream.” I’m not sure whether this construction is parallel, and I also question the necessity of the comma. Should this be rewritten, and if so, how? I would be tempted to simply remove the comma.
I have another question, this one concerning “rather…than.” I assume that a sentence such as “I’d rather run than walk” is parallel because the elements following each correlative conjunction are both verbs. But what about sentences such as “I’d rather eat popcorn than chips” or “I’d rather watch the news than the Olympics”? I assume these are NOT parallel because in both cases “rather” is followed by a verb but “than” is followed by a noun—yet I hear such expressions all the time. Is there a way to make those sentences grammatically parallel other than to clunkily repeat the verb(s), as in “I’d rather eat popcorn than eat chips” and “I’d rather watch the news than watch the Olympics”? What about substituting “instead of” for “than,” as in “I’d rather eat popcorn instead of chips” and “I’d rather watch the news instead of the Olympics”? Or are those sentences also not parallel?
As our article points out, including a comma in constructions such as “not…but” can be style and preference in informal communications, but formal communications would typically not include it: “This week we’re featuring not just one but two flavors of ice cream.”
Concerning your other examples, the sentences include omission: e.g., I’d rather eat popcorn than [eat] chips, I’d rather watch the news than [watch] the Olympics, I’d rather eat popcorn instead of [eat] chips, I’d rather watch the news instead of [watch] the Olympics. In this way, they are parallel. The omission offers economy of space in conveying what is missing but understood in parallel form.
Thank you for responding. Regarding your comment that “the omission offers economy of space in conveying what is missing but understood in parallel form,” does this mean that such an omission is acceptable in formal prose? Or, like your answer to my first question (concerning whether a comma is appropriate in “not . . . but” constructions), would it be acceptable generally only in informal communications? I’ve always felt I should avoid most omissions/elisions when I write because they could be judged as “poor grammar” (or simply laziness!), but perhaps I am misguided in this regard.
That type of omission format would be acceptable in formal prose.
That is good to know—thank you! Kind regards.
Should “but also” be used only when it is preceded by “not only”? Could you give some examples of when “but also” can be used alone without “not only”?
The conjunctive phrases “not only” and “but also” most often appear together when referring to parallel structures:
That guitar is not only beautiful, but also well-built.
Jane not only runs marathons but also participates in long-distance swimming.
On occasion we might exclude “not only” if we are making a more-comparative observation:
Jane is frugal but also quick to share.
Pete sleeps a lot but also uses his time efficiently when he’s awake.