Not Only………. But Also………
The structure not only … but also … is used to denote something or someone that has more than one quality, or has done more than one action.
The not only…but also construction is generally used in formal situations.
- Richard
is not only rich, but also magnanimous.
- The
forest had not only beautiful birds but also dangerous animals.
- Rachel
played not only tennis, but also squash.
Ú Parallelism
(similarity by matching or corresponding)
should be the objective when we use the structure not only … but also …
The words following both parts of this
correlative conjunction (that is, not
only and but also) should belong
to the same parts of speech. For instance, if a verb follows not only, then a verb should also follow
but also. If we use different parts
of speech after each part of not only . . . but also making the sentence uneven
and unrefined.
Study the examples below:
- He is not
only gifted but also has an extreme nature of
playfulness.
- He is not
only gifted but also humorous.
Both sentences mean the same thing, but
the first is imbalanced and looks awkward.
The adjective gifted follows not only,
while the dependent phrase has an extreme
nature of playfulness follows but
also.
In the second sentence, the adjectives gifted and humorous follow not only and but also, making the sentence parallel and, thus, graceful.
Ú Not only…but also
can come:
1. the
main subject and verb, separating a list that the main verb presents:
- Indira
likes not only apples but also oranges.
2. a
clause (following objects and direct objects) to show the qualities of the main
clause.
- We
go for swimming not only when it was sunny, but also when it was raining.
3. If
we want to give extra emphasis, the subject and verb following not only must be inverted.
§ Not
only was Sheela clever but she was also very sharp
Ú We
need not always use also: it
can be either omitted or substituted by too
at the end:
- Not
only did I bring my sister to the city; I also found a good job for her.
- The
teachers were not only learned, but helpful too.
