3 Types of Not Only . . . But Also Errors

3 Types of Not Only . . . But Also Errors 3 Types of â€Å"Not Only . . . But Also† Errors 3 Types of â€Å"Not Only . . . But Also† Errors By Mark Nichol Confusion about the proper arrangement of words in sentences in which the correlative conjunctions â€Å"not only† and â€Å"but also† appear is manifested in various forms of erroneous syntax. The following sentences, accompanied by discussion and corrected versions, demonstrate three categories of mistaken sentence construction. 1. â€Å"Digital cameras are not only changing photography, but our lives.† The placement of â€Å"not only† here implies that the sentence will refer both to changing and to some other action that will occur because of the existence of digital cameras. (For example, â€Å"Digital cameras are not only changing photography but also altering our culture’s norms about privacy.†) But because changing is the operative verb for both parts of the comparison, it should precede â€Å"not only† and should be shadowed by also after the conjunction: â€Å"Digital cameras are changing not only photography but also our lives.† 2. â€Å"His hard work in math class has not only helped him make the most of his abilities but also to gradually improve them.† The phrase â€Å"not only† is misplaced in this sentence it should follow the verb phrase â€Å"has helped,† rather than be inserted between the two words which is also complicated by an extraneous use of to before the phrase â€Å"gradually improve them.† That placement would be appropriate only if it matched a to inserted before â€Å"make the most of his abilities.† But to following a form of help and a noun or pronoun is unnecessary: â€Å"His hard work in math class has helped him not only make the most of his abilities but also gradually improve them.† 3. â€Å"I think of her both as an example of someone who does her work with care and pride but also as someone who treats others respectfully.† This sentence mixes two phrasing forms for making comparisons: â€Å"both . . . and† and â€Å"not only . . . but also.† For the sentence to make sense, use one or the other: â€Å"I think of her both as an example of someone who does her work with care and pride and as someone who treats others respectfully† or â€Å"I think of her not only as an example of someone who does her work with care and pride but also as someone who treats others respectfully.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Punctuate References to Dates and TimesPeople versus Persons50 Plain-Language Substitutions for Wordy Phrases