Language/English/Grammar/CONJUNCTIONS-→-Correlative-Conjunctions
CONJUNCTIONS: Correlative Conjunctions | Cause and Effect | A Choice or Alternative | Contrast | Addition |
Grammar Rules
Some conjunctions combine with other words to form correlative conjunctions. They appear together, joining various sentence elements that should be treated as grammatically equal.
Some examples are both…and; not only, but also; either … or/neither … nor; whether … or.
• Whether you win or lose this competition is not the issue; it’s how hard you’ve tried.
Using “like” as a Conjunction
Although like is often used as a conjunction, this is regarded as rather informal and should be avoided in formal writing.
E.g.
• He doesn’t go out like he used to. (informal)
• He doesn’t go out the way he used to. (formal)
Instead of “Like I told you yesterday, we aren’t going to the zoo today”, say “As I told you yesterday, we aren’t going to the zoo today”.
Instead of “It looks like it’s going to rain”, say “It looks as if it’s going to rain”
Misuse of “either … or”
This construction presents a choice between two alternatives. However, the two alternatives should belong to the same word class.
E.g.
• We can go to either Bangkok or Bali for our vacation this year. (Both are nouns.)
• They can eat either now or after the show. (Both are adverbs.) Sometimes either is placed in an incorrect position.
E.g.
• She can take either the exam or ask to be interviewed. (One is a noun – exam – and the other is a verb – ask.)
The correct phrasing should be: She can either take the exam or ask to be interviewed. (Both are verbs.)
Misuse of “due to”
Due to is often used in place of because of or as a result of. However, the correct way to use it is when it follows a noun or pronoun, i.e., in a sentence structure such as “something is due to...”.
Therefore, the sentence below is incorrect:
• Our departure was delayed due to bad weather. It should be recast as:
• The delay in our departure was due to bad weather.
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CONJUNCTIONS: Correlative Conjunctions | Cause and Effect | A Choice or Alternative | Contrast | Addition |