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Correlative Conjunctions Practice Guide

The document provides examples and explanations for using correlative conjunctions such as both...and, not only...but also, either...or, and neither...nor. It includes two practice sections - the first with examples sentences to choose the correct conjunction, and the second rearranging words to form sentences using correlative conjunctions.
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
221 views3 pages

Correlative Conjunctions Practice Guide

The document provides examples and explanations for using correlative conjunctions such as both...and, not only...but also, either...or, and neither...nor. It includes two practice sections - the first with examples sentences to choose the correct conjunction, and the second rearranging words to form sentences using correlative conjunctions.
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© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
  • Correlative Conjunctions Practice – Answer Key
  • Correlative Conjunction Exercises

Correlative Conjunctions Practice—Answer Key

Practice 1: Choose the correct pair of correlative conjunctions to complete each


sentence. In some cases, more than one pair may be possible. If that is the case, select
only 1. The first one is done for you.

a. both…and b. not only…but also c. either…or d. neither…nor

1. ______ my sister ______ brother are married with children.


A--Notice the plural verb “are”. This means it cannot be “not only…but also”, “either…or” or
“neither…nor”.

2. Julie eats ______ red meat ______ chicken because she is a vegetarian.
D--We know that Julie does NOT eat red meat or chicken because she is a vegetarian.
“Neither…nor” expresses this negation.

3. The mother told her child that he could have ______ ice cream______ cookies for dessert, but
not both.
C--“Either…or” implies one or the other, but not both.

4. If you would like to receive dual citizenship, ______ your mother ______ your father had to
have been born in another country. For example, Mary’s mom is from Spain, and her Dad is
from the U.S., which means that she has dual citizenship!
C--“Either…or” implies one or the other, but not both.

5. ______ does the school accept international students ______ it offers them a special
scholarship.
B--You know that you need “not only…but also” because you see the helping verb “does” and
the correlative conjunctions precede two clauses.

6. After a long day at work, John is so tired that he can _____ cook dinner _____ exercise.
Instead, he watches TV and picks up some fast food.
D--It is easy to see that John does not cook dinner and he does not exercise.

7. The strict teacher said that students can _____ chew gum _____ use electronics during class.
D--The teacher is strict, so he does NOT allow students to chew gum or use electronics. The
keyword is “strict”.

8. Gary wants to be a triathlete, but there is just one problem. He can _____ ride a bike _____
run very well, but he does not know how to swim.
A OR B--Because this sentence contains the conjunction “but”, we know that the two clauses
should be contrastive. He CAN ride a bike and run, but he CANNOT swim.
9. _____ New York _____ California host popular beaches.
A--When correlating two subjects with “both…and”, the verb is always agrees with a plural
subject. This is not true with the other correlative conjunctions, which follow the rule of the
verb agreeing with the closest subject.

10. _____ students _____ the teacher works very hard to prepare fo r each class; it is a
combined effort!
B--Notice the verb “works” agrees with “teacher”. If it were “both..and”, the verb would
have to be “work”.

Practice 2: Put the words in order to make a sentence with correlative conjunctions.

1. attending/ be/ her/ husband/ neither/ nor/ party/ the/ Sarah / will

Neither Sarah nor her husband will be attending the party.

2. accommodation/ also/ but/deal /includes/ only/ food/not/ the/ vacation


The vacation deal includes not only accommodation but also food.
OR The vacation deal includes not only food but also accommodation.

3. are/ and/ both/ develop/ grammar/ important/ vocabulary/ skills/ to

Both grammar and vocabulary are important skills to develop.


OR Both vocabulary and grammar are important skills to develop.

4. by/ can/ car/or/ travelers / get / train / there/ either

Travelers can get there by either car or by train.


OR Travelers can get there by either train or car.

5. also/ but/ inspiring/ music/ entertaining/ only/ is/ to / listening/ not


Listening to music is not only entertaining but also inspiring.
OR Listening to music is not only inspiring but also entertaining.

6. anger/ hatred/ neither/ problems/ nor/ solves


Neither hatred nor anger solves problems.
OR Neither anger nor hatred solves problems.

7. be/ can/ day/ either/ every/ happy/ to/ or/ we/ unhappy/ choose

Every day we can choose to be either happy or unhappy.


OR Every day we can choose to be either unhappy or happy.
8. a/ a/ blessing/ both/ burden/ is/ technology/ and
Technology is both a blessing and a burden.
OR Technology is both a burden and a blessing.

9. a/ a/ a/ either/ bad/ good/ familiar/ up/ conjure/ memory/ scent/ may/ memory/ or
A familiar scent may conjure up either a good memory or a bad memory.
OR A familiar scent may conjure up either a bad memory or a good memory.

10. accusation/ deny/ neither/ will/ I / your/ confirm/ nor/ your


I will neither confirm nor deny your accusation.
OR I will neither deny or confirm your accusation.

Common questions

Powered by AI

Correlative conjunctions like "both...and" make the verb agree with a plural subject, while "either...or" or "neither...nor" make the verb agree with the closest subject to the verb. For example, "Both New York and California host popular beaches" uses "host" to agree with the plural subjects "New York" and "California" .

"Both...and" is often used to highlight two important characteristics or roles. In the sentence "Technology is both a blessing and a burden," the use of "both...and" reveals the dual nature of technology, emphasizing that it has significant positive and negative aspects simultaneously .

"Either...or" is used to indicate a choice between two alternatives. For example, "Travelers can get there by either car or train" implies that travelers have only two options for transportation, thereby limiting their choices to these specific alternatives .

The usage of "either...or" simplifies decision-making by presenting mutually exclusive options, which streamlines the process. In "Every day we can choose to be either happy or unhappy," it emphasizes the choice between two emotional states, suggesting a conscious decision influenced by daily actions or mindset .

You use "not only...but also" when you want to emphasize two related points equally. Its usage typically impacts sentence structure by requiring balance and symmetry between the clauses. For example, in the sentence "The vacation deal includes not only accommodation but also food," the correlative conjunctions make it clear that the deal includes both components equally .

The logical reasoning in using "not only...but also" is to structure the sentence to emphasize the existence of an additional, often unexpected, feature or quality that complements the first. For instance, "Listening to music is not only entertaining but also inspiring" highlights an extra dimension of music beyond entertainment, suggesting a deeper impact on the listener .

Using a singular verb with "both...and" is grammatically incorrect because "both...and" forms a composite subject that is inherently plural, necessitating a plural verb. In the example "Both New York and California host popular beaches," "host" agrees with the plural subjects "New York" and "California" .

Correlative conjunctions such as "neither...nor" and "either...or" effectively influence perception by highlighting the exclusivity or negation of options. For example, "You can either go to the party or stay at home" presents a stark choice, limiting the scope of the decision, while "I will neither confirm nor deny your accusation" leaves no room for further assumptions, signaling a closed stance .

"Neither...nor" is used to express the complete negation of two elements, effectively stating that neither option applies. An example is "Julie eats neither red meat nor chicken because she is a vegetarian," which indicates that Julie consumes neither of the listed food items .

"Neither...nor" is employed to express a strict prohibition by negating both elements in the sentence. For instance, "The strict teacher said that students can neither chew gum nor use electronics during class" clearly and firmly forbids both actions, underscoring the teacher's unwavering rules .

Correlative Conjunctions Practice—Answer Key 
 
Practice 1: Choose the correct pair of correlative conjunctions to comp
9. _____ New York _____ California host popular beaches.  
A--When correlating two subjects with “both…and”, the verb is alwa
8. a/ a/ blessing/ both/ burden/ is/ technology/ and 
Technology is both a blessing and a burden.  
OR Technology is both a b

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