{"id":17936,"date":"2022-04-05T23:19:51","date_gmt":"2022-04-05T23:19:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/?p=17936"},"modified":"2024-09-16T11:19:15","modified_gmt":"2024-09-16T11:19:15","slug":"correlative-conjunctions-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/correlative-conjunctions-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ultimate Guide on Correlative Conjunctions"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>img#mv-trellis-img-1::before{padding-top:150%; }img#mv-trellis-img-1{display:block;}<\/style><p>There are three main types of conjunctions: Coordinating conjunctions, subordinating conjunctions and correlative conjunctions.<\/p>\n<p>In this article, we will tackle correlative conjunctions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Let&rsquo;s roll our ball by starting with the usual quick answer.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>What are correlative conjunctions?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>Correlative conjunctions are the conjunctions that come in pairs and are inseparable. They are very useful in blending ideas that are equally important in terms of grammar and meaning. Examples of these include &ldquo;not only&hellip;but also,&rdquo; &ldquo;either&hellip;or,&rdquo; &ldquo;whether&hellip;or,&rdquo; &ldquo;no sooner&hellip;than,&rdquo; and &ldquo;as&hellip;as.&rdquo;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Correlative conjunctions: The &ldquo;inseparables&rdquo;<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Correlative conjunctions are inseparable words because one cannot stand alone without the other. Doing so does not achieve the same effect anymore.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That is, a pair of correlative conjunction strictly works together in order to convey our thoughts precisely as well as in a parallel way.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These types of conjunctions connect two sentence parts that are of equal value or importance, both in sense and grammar.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Like <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/correlative-conjunctions\/\"><b>coordinating conjunctions<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and subordinating conjunctions, correlative conjunctions also have different functions in language use.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To recall, coordinating conjunctions connect two independent clauses, while <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/subordinating-conjunctions\/\"><b>subordinating conjunctions<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> link an independent clause to a dependent clause.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you are wondering what exactly &ldquo;clauses&rdquo; stand for in grammar, you may read our guide that distinguishes <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/clauses-vs-phrases\/\"><b>clauses and phrases<\/b><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">for clarity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meanwhile, correlative conjunctions can do way more than just connect clauses together. In fact, they can actually &ldquo;blend&rdquo; them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We mainly use correlative conjunctions to add one idea after another, express alternatives, convey conditions, show the order of events, and even introduce comparisons.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To understand how correlative conjunctions work in context, let us discuss each of them one by one according to function.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><b>Correlative conjunctions for adding ideas<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Additive correlative conjunctions work together solely for the purpose of adding more value to whatever idea we are trying to express.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;Both&hellip;and&rdquo; and &ldquo;not only&hellip;but also&rdquo; are two of the most commonly used additive correlative conjunctions in English.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Using either of them is great for increasing the implied importance of two equally meaningful ideas in one smooth flow.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><b>Both&hellip;and<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The word &ldquo;both&rdquo; suggests the meaning &ldquo;one plus another one,&rdquo; while &ldquo;and&rdquo; may suggest the meaning &ldquo;together with&rdquo; or &ldquo;besides.&rdquo;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/comma-before-and\/\"><b>comma comes before &ldquo;and&rdquo;<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> when it is used as a coordinating conjunction. However, this comma disappears when &ldquo;and&rdquo; is used as a correlative conjunction.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That said, the combined meaning of &ldquo;both&hellip;and&rdquo; utterly becomes more powerful than using&nbsp;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">either word as single elements.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Examples:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"content-box-grey\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shawn can <\/span><\/i><b><i>both<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> sing <\/span><\/i><b><i>and<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> dance.<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"content-box-grey\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">My son loves <\/span><\/i><b><i>both<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the food <\/span><\/i><b><i>and<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the rides at Dollywood.<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<br>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In both of the examples above, each of the subjects is followed by compound ideas in the predicate part.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Interestingly, we may also create compound subjects using the pair &ldquo;both&hellip;and&rdquo; if we want to, such as in &ldquo;both Mary and Michelle.&rdquo;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><b>Not only&hellip;but also<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The pair &ldquo;not only&hellip;but also&rdquo; is another great correlative conjunction to use for adding an important idea after another.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;Not only&rdquo; suggests the meaning &ldquo;not just,&rdquo; which is good for emphasizing the truth value of an idea. Meanwhile, &ldquo;but also&rdquo; is responsible for making this truth value even more promising.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remember that as a stand-alone word, a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/comma-before-not\/\"><b>comma before &ldquo;not&rdquo;<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is mainly used for inserting interruptive thoughts within the sentence.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, a comma before &ldquo;but&rdquo; is always used when it is used as a coordinating conjunction in a compound sentence.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When connecting incomplete clauses and phrases, the pair &ldquo;not only&hellip;but also&rdquo; does not need any <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" title=\"comma placement\" href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/comma-rules\/\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">comma placement<\/a> at all.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Examples:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"content-box-grey\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You are <\/span><\/i><b><i>not only<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> smart <\/span><\/i><b><i>but also<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> kind.<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"content-box-grey\"><b><i>Not only<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Teacher Sally <\/span><\/i><b><i>but also<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Teacher Nancy is from Oregon.<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<br>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As you can see, the first example makes use of a compound predicate, while the second example makes use of a compound subject.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Doing so is simply possible with correlative conjunctions. This reduces redundant statements, which then makes our sentences cleaner and more attractive.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><b>Correlative conjunctions for alternative ideas<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In simple terms, alternative ideas are options or choices. When we present such kinds of ideas through language, we can seek help from correlative conjunctions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The most common correlative conjunctions used for expressing alternative ideas are &ldquo;either&hellip;or&rdquo; and &ldquo;neither&hellip;nor.&rdquo;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While &ldquo;either&hellip;or&rdquo; is used in the affirmative sense, &ldquo;neither&hellip;nor&rdquo; is used in the negative sense. Luckily enough, this distinction is pretty easy to remember.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><b>Either&hellip;or<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When presenting two alternatives or options, we can use the pair &ldquo;either&hellip;or.&rdquo; Doing so allows us or our listeners to pick a choice on what to do or believe.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Placing a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/comma-before-or-after-either\/\"><b>comma before or after &ldquo;either&rdquo;<\/b><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">alone is a tricky thing to do. This is because &ldquo;either&rdquo; wears many different hats.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What we have to remember, though, is never to use any commas immediately around &ldquo;either&rdquo; when it is paired with &ldquo;or&rdquo; in a sentence.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But then again, you would likely need a comma before &ldquo;or&rdquo; when it is separately used as a coordinating conjunction, just like &ldquo;but.&rdquo;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Examples:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"content-box-grey\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I&rsquo;m having <\/span><\/i><b><i>either<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> falafel <\/span><\/i><b><i>or<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> hummus for lunch.<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"content-box-grey\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can <\/span><\/i><b><i>either<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> go to Barcelona <\/span><\/i><b><i>or<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Lisbon this year.<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<br>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the examples above, the use of &ldquo;either&hellip;or&rdquo; allows us to express optional ideas effectively. This meanwhile makes our statements more of a two-way than a one-way street.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><b>Neither&hellip;nor<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the other end of the spectrum is &ldquo;neither&hellip;nor.&rdquo; This pair is great for expressing negation of ideas at the cost of just a few words.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a single entity, &ldquo;nor&rdquo; is a coordinating conjunction. Therefore, a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/comma-before-nor\/\"><b>comma before &ldquo;nor&rdquo;<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> usually comes when it connects two independent clauses.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, no comma should be used when &ldquo;neither&rdquo; and &ldquo;nor&rdquo; are deliberately used as a correlative pair of conjunction.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Examples:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"content-box-grey\"><b><i>Neither<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> my mother <\/span><\/i><b><i>nor<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> my father is Italian.<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"content-box-grey\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Johnson <\/span><\/i><b><i>neither<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> speaks Chinese <\/span><\/i><b><i>nor<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" title=\"Japanese\" href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/study-japanese\/\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">Japanese<\/a>.<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<br>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Taking things into perspective, &ldquo;neither&hellip;nor&rdquo; is great for making sure that similarly negative ideas are not repeatedly stated in two separate sentences.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><b>Correlative conjunctions for conditional ideas<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sometimes, we also need to present conditions. In grammar, conditional statements offer an avenue for guesswork or speculation to occur.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the most popular correlative conjunction that does this exact function is the pair &ldquo;whether&hellip;or.&rdquo;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><b>Whether&hellip;or<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;Whether&hellip;or&rdquo; is something we often use together with &ldquo;not&rdquo; for emphasis. Using <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/whether-or-not-vs-whether\/\"><b>&ldquo;whether or not&rdquo; vs. &ldquo;whether&rdquo;<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a bit tricky thing to do.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But like any other activity out there, mastery can only be attained through constant practice and exposure.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For more details on this topic, you may also read our previous post tackling <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/how-to-use-whether-or-not-in-a-sentence\/\"><b>how to use &ldquo;whether or not&rdquo; in a sentence<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for clarity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a nutshell, &ldquo;whether&rdquo; suggests the meaning &ldquo;which or either of the two,&rdquo; whereas &ldquo;or&rdquo; acts as a linker to the alternative option we want to convey.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Examples:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"content-box-grey\"><b><i>Whether<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> you like it <\/span><\/i><b><i>or<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> not, you will do as I say.<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"content-box-grey\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It doesn&rsquo;t matter <\/span><\/i><b><i>whether<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> he accepts my apology <\/span><\/i><b><i>or<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> not.<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<br>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In both of the examples above, the &ldquo;whether&hellip;or&rdquo; pairs are used to convey assertion as well as conviction. This strategy is great for rhetorical purposes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><b>Correlative conjunctions for order of events<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Equally important as the others listed above, we also have correlative conjunctions that can be used to express the order or sequence of events.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some of the most widely used pairs under this type of conjunction include &ldquo;no sooner&hellip;than,&rdquo; &ldquo;scarcely&hellip;when,&rdquo; and &ldquo;hardly&hellip;when.&rdquo;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Notwithstanding the difference among the three conjunctions, all of them suggest pretty much the same meaning.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><b>No sooner&hellip;than<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The pair &ldquo;no sooner&hellip;than&rdquo; is used for expressing an event that occurs shortly or immediately after another event.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This pair is great for making two lengthy sentences shorter and even more linguistically pleasing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In both of the examples below, note that both ideas introduced by &ldquo;no sooner&rdquo; are the events that occurred before the than-clause.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Example:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"content-box-grey\"><b><i>No sooner<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> had Mary finished cleaning <\/span><\/i><b><i>than<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> she started cooking.<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"content-box-grey\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I had <\/span><\/i><b><i>no sooner<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> finished reading one book <\/span><\/i><b><i>than<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> I started reading another.<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><b>Scarcely&hellip;when<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Similarly, &ldquo;scarcely&hellip;when&rdquo; is also used for expressing the idea that one event occurs shortly after another.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;Scarcely&rdquo; suggests the meaning &ldquo;only just&rdquo; which could also be interpreted as &ldquo;a very short time before something else happens.&rdquo;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here&rsquo;s how you may use the pair &ldquo;scarcely&hellip;when&rdquo;:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Examples:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"content-box-grey\"><b><i>Scarcely<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> had I left the house <\/span><\/i><b><i>when<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> he arrived.<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"content-box-grey\"><b><i>Scarcely<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> had mom started her car <\/span><\/i><b><i>when<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> she realized she left her bag.<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><b>Hardly&hellip;when<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another great pair of correlative conjunctions you may use for conveying an event that occurs right before another is &ldquo;hardly&hellip;when.&rdquo;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Just like &ldquo;no sooner..than&rdquo; and &ldquo;scarcely&hellip;when,&rdquo; &ldquo;hardly&hellip;when&rdquo; is also a great choice when suggesting the meaning &ldquo;as soon as something happens.&rdquo;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are two examples of sentences using &ldquo;hardly&hellip;when&rdquo;:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Examples:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"content-box-grey\"><b><i>Hardly<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> had dad arrived <\/span><\/i><b><i>when<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> you left for school.<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"content-box-grey\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I had <\/span><\/i><b><i>hardly<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> finished cleaning the floor <\/span><\/i><b><i>when<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> my daughter dropped another scoop of ice cream.<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<br>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As has been pointed out, all the correlative conjunctions in this section are effective devices for emphatically and organizably expressing when one event occurs right after another.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><b>Correlative conjunctions for comparison<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether we like it or not, we tend to compare ideas every now and then. This skill is a gift that we use for practical reasons.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Comparing things allows us to logically look into the features or qualities of people, events, and things, which is why this is also a very popular research method.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The correlative conjunction &ldquo;as&hellip;as&rdquo; is something that we can use for this specific purpose.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><b>As&hellip;as<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trick yet really practical at the same time, the conjunctive pair &ldquo;as&hellip;as&rdquo; is used for the comparison of equally-important ideas.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To use this pair correctly, we may simply place either an adverb or an adjective between the two words.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When we use the correlative conjunction &ldquo;as&hellip;as,&rdquo; we are suggesting that the first idea is equally powerful and significant as the other.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Examples:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"content-box-grey\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You just look <\/span><\/i><b><i>as<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> lovely and lady-like <\/span><\/i><b><i>as<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> your mother.<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"content-box-grey\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">John is <\/span><\/i><b><i>as<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> disappointed <\/span><\/i><b><i>as<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> his brother.<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<br>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Clearly, we can see how the &ldquo;as&hellip;as&rdquo; pair works as equalizers of ideas, notwithstanding whether they are positive or negative in connotation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All in all, correlative conjunctions are, therefore, great devices for improving the way we contextualize our ideas as well as making them more cohesive.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Correlative-Conjunctions.jpg\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-24619\" src=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Correlative-Conjunctions.jpg\" alt=\"Correlative Conjunctions\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Correlative-Conjunctions.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Correlative-Conjunctions-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Correlative-Conjunctions-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Correlative-Conjunctions-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Correlative-Conjunctions-640x960.jpg 640w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Correlative-Conjunctions-720x1080.jpg 720w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Correlative-Conjunctions-800x1200.jpg 800w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Correlative-Conjunctions-150x225.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Correlative-Conjunctions.jpg\"><\/noscript><img loading=\"eager\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-24619 eager-load\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201000%201500'%3E%3Crect%20width='1000'%20height='1500'%20style='fill:%23e3e3e3'\/%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" alt=\"Correlative Conjunctions\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1500\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Correlative-Conjunctions.jpg\" id=\"mv-trellis-img-1\" data-src=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Correlative-Conjunctions.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Correlative-Conjunctions.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Correlative-Conjunctions-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Correlative-Conjunctions-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Correlative-Conjunctions-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Correlative-Conjunctions-640x960.jpg 640w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Correlative-Conjunctions-720x1080.jpg 720w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Correlative-Conjunctions-800x1200.jpg 800w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Correlative-Conjunctions-150x225.jpg 150w\" data-svg=\"1\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"><\/a><\/h2>\n<h2><b>Using correlative conjunctions more mindfully<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As you may have observed, using correlative conjunctions is a bit more challenging than coordinating and subordinating conjunctions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is because correlative conjunctions follow the guiding principles of the first two types mentioned above &ndash; at the same time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Moreover, this is also the reason why correlative conjunctions matter in speaking and writing. They express utterly complex ideas in one sitting.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As this is the case, the need for subject-verb agreement and parallel structures when expressing sentences using correlative conjunctions is self-explanatory.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That is to say, we need to be mindful of whether our subject agrees with our predicate accordingly and whether we are using similar grammatical structures in each part of our sentence.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As an example, we need to treat the subject as a singular element when using &ldquo;either&hellip;or&rdquo; in the construction. This structure apparently needs to make use of the s-form of the verb.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meanwhile, parallel structures are best represented by the &ldquo;not only&hellip;but also&rdquo; pair, as this is the pair that requires the most attention.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For instance, if we are using an adjective in the not only-part, we also need to use an adjective in the but also-part.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Example:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"content-box-grey\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(parallel) Not only is he handsome but also smart.<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<br>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Following the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/owl.purdue.edu\/owl\/general_writing\/mechanics\/parallel_structure.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>parallelism<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> argument above as well as the example given, it would be grammatically askew or awkward to say the following:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Example:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"content-box-grey\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(incongruent) Not only is he handsome but also has a lot of talents.<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<br>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The incongruity in the example above is brought by the predicate of the but also-clause. It should have been made parallel if the word &ldquo;talented&rdquo; were used instead.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a nutshell, we must not only be mindful of our conjunctive pair but also the other words around it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bearing this in mind will surely make our language use more accurate. By doing so, we can avoid miscommunication.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>List with Correlative Conjunctions for you to Download<\/strong><\/h2>\n[table id=38 \/]\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b>Frequently Asked Questions on &ldquo;Correlative Conjunctions&rdquo;<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><b>How do we use correlative conjunctions in a sentence?<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We use correlative conjunctions to connect two parallel words, phrases, or clauses. In particular, we use correlative conjunctions for combining either subjects or predicates that are of equal weight or importance.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><b>Is &ldquo;just&rdquo; a correlative conjunction?<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a stand-alone word, &ldquo;just&rdquo; can be used either as an adverb or adjective and hence not a correlative conjunction. However, the pair &ldquo;just as&hellip;so&rdquo; is a correlative conjunction.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><b>What is the difference between a coordinating and a correlative conjunction?<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" title=\"coordinating conjunctions\" href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/coordinating-conjunctions\/\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">coordinating conjunctions<\/a> are used as individual words to &ldquo;connect&rdquo; two independent clauses, correlative conjunctions are meanwhile used in pairs to &ldquo;blend&rdquo; two grammatically parallel ideas.<\/span><br>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\n  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n  \"@type\": \"FAQPage\",\n  \"mainEntity\": [\n    {\n      \"@type\": \"Question\",\n      \"name\": \"How do we use correlative conjunctions in a sentence?\",\n      \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n        \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n        \"text\": \"We use correlative conjunctions to connect two parallel words, phrases, or clauses. In particular, we use correlative conjunctions for combining either subjects or predicates that are of equal weight or importance.\"\n      }\n    },\n    {\n      \"@type\": \"Question\",\n      \"name\": \"Is &ldquo;just&rdquo; a correlative conjunction?\",\n      \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n        \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n        \"text\": \"As a stand-alone word, &ldquo;just&rdquo; can be used either as an adverb or adjective and hence not a correlative conjunction. However, the pair &ldquo;just as&hellip;so&rdquo; is a correlative conjunction.\"\n      }\n    },\n    {\n      \"@type\": \"Question\",\n      \"name\": \"What is the difference between a coordinating and a correlative conjunction?\",\n      \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n        \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n        \"text\": \"While coordinating conjunctions are used as individual words to &ldquo;connect&rdquo; two independent clauses, correlative conjunctions are meanwhile used in pairs to &ldquo;blend&rdquo; two grammatically parallel ideas.\"\n      }\n    }\n  ]\n}\n<\/script><br>\n<!--FAQPage Code Generated by https:\/\/saijogeorge.com\/json-ld-schema-generator\/faq\/--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are three main types of conjunctions: Coordinating conjunctions, subordinating conjunctions and correlative conjunctions. In this article, we will tackle correlative conjunctions.&nbsp; Let&rsquo;s roll our ball by starting with the usual quick answer. &nbsp; What are correlative conjunctions? Correlative conjunctions are the conjunctions that come in pairs and are inseparable. They are very useful in &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17947,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"disable-in-feed":false,"article-schema-type":"","disable-critical-css":false,"_convertkit_action_broadcast_export":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1116],"tags":[915],"class_list":["post-17936","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-grammar","tag-correlative-conjunctions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17936","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17936"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17936\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40174,"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17936\/revisions\/40174"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17947"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17936"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17936"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17936"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}