5 Erroneously Constructed Not Only . . . But Also Sentences

5 Erroneously Constructed Not Only . . . But Also Sentences 5 Erroneously Constructed â€Å"Not Only . . . But Also† Sentences 5 Erroneously Constructed â€Å"Not Only . . . But Also† Sentences By Mark Nichol Writers often have difficulty determining the word order in sentences in which the phrase â€Å"not only† appears followed by an example and then, subsequent to â€Å"but also,† another example. Here are fixes to five such sentences. 1. â€Å"Digital cameras are not only changing photography, but our lives.† The key to correct syntax in â€Å"not only . . . but also† constructions is, when sharing a verb between the two examples, placing â€Å"not only† after the verb: â€Å"Digital cameras are changing not only photography but also our lives.† 2. â€Å"He wasn’t only listening to tone, but also to the rhythms and patterns he would need to understand and communicate.† This sentences partially conceals the problem because not is part of a contraction. To solve it, spell out the contracted phrase, and follow the rule stated in the explanation of the example above: â€Å"He was listening not only to tone but also to the rhythms and patterns he would need to understand and communicate.† 3. â€Å"Many people prefer the squatter neighborhoods not only because they provide affordable housing but freedom from government control and a sense of community spirit.† This sentence is improved by the basic strategy of placing the verb before â€Å"not only,† but a further fix is recommended. Because the element following â€Å"but also† is a two-part phrase, freedom may be (at least initially) misconstrued as applying to both â€Å"government control† and â€Å"a sense of community spirit,† so distance the second phrase from the first: â€Å"Many people prefer the squatter neighborhoods because they provide not only affordable housing but also freedom from government control, as well as a sense of community spirit.† 4. â€Å"We house them in the nicest neighborhoods we can afford, the ones that are not only comfortable in themselves, but that mask direct evidence of the world’s unfairness.† In this example, each corresponding phrase has its own verb. When this is the case, simply place â€Å"not only† and â€Å"but also† immediately preceding the respective verbs: â€Å"We house them in the nicest neighborhoods we can afford, the ones that not only are comfortable in themselves but also mask direct evidence of the world’s unfairness.† 5. â€Å"Eventually, I began to notice that dreams are not only inspirations for creative life and interesting puzzles to be solved, but that they provided access to a world of meaning that was even greater than the tactics of nonviolent social change.† More complex sentences pose a challenge, but as in the other examples, simply break the sentence elements down. The two points of this sentence are â€Å"dreams are inspirations . . .† and â€Å"they provide access . . . .† To achieve parallel structure, precede the first phrase with â€Å"not only that† and the second one with â€Å"but also that†: â€Å"Eventually, I began to notice not only that dreams are inspirations for creative life and interesting puzzles to be solved but also that they provide access to a world of meaning that was even greater than the tactics of nonviolent social change.† 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:Writing a Reference Letter (With Examples)Cannot or Can Not?When to Spell Out Numbers