Tuesday 12 April 2011

Correct Usage Of Correlative Conjunctions part-1


When the Correlative Conjunctions ‘either….or’, ‘neither…nor’, both…and’, ‘not only…but also’, are used, care must be taken to place the first member (i.e., the world ‘either’, neither’, ‘both’,’ ‘not only’) immediately the worlds that are contrasted.

                                Incorrect              Your brother was either there or your cousin.
                                Correct                 Either you brother was there or your cousin. (was there)

                                Incorrect              Nither he is a rouge nor a madman.
                                Correct                 He is neither a rogue nor a madman.
                                Incorrect              He both obtained a prize and a scholarship.
                `               Correct                 He obtained both a prize and a scholarship.
Note :  Verb agrees with the secound subject when there are two subjects.
·         ‘Neither’ is always followed by ‘nor’.
I have neither written to her nor (not or) spoken to her.
Neither his sister nor (not or) his mother met me.
·         Scarcely’ is followed by ‘ when’, and not by ‘than’.

Scarcely had he left when (not than) a storm began to below.
Scarcely had he reached the station when (not than) a storm began to below.
·         ‘No sooner’  is followed by ‘than’, and not by ‘ but’ or ‘when’.
No sooner had the fight begun than (not but) he ran away.
No sooner had he left than (not but) he come back again.
·         ‘Than’ is used as a Subordinating Conjunction. The Subordinate sentence introduced by ‘than’ is generally elliptical. So in order to determine the case of the word after ‘than’, the ellipsis must be supplied.
Incorrect              He is stronger than me.
Correct                 He is stronger than I. [i.e., than I (am strong)]
Note the difference between two sentences :-
(1)    I love you better than him.[=I love you better than (I love him)]
(2)    I love you better than he.[=I love you better than he ( loves you)]
Also Note the following :-
Incorrect              He is as strong as me.

Correct                 He is as strong as I (me)
Incorrect              She can jump as high as me.
Correct                 She can jump as high as I (can jump).

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