correlative conjunctions

On this page

• Definition of “correlative conjunction”
• Parallelism with correlative conjunctions
• Agreement in correlative conjunctions
• Additional information

Definition of “correlative conjunction”

The word conjunction comes from a Latin root meaning “join.” In grammar, a conjunction is a joining word.

A correlative conjunction is a two-part conjunction: it consists of two words or phrases that are used to join sentence elements of equal value. Here are some of the most common ones:

• both … and
  • Both Ryan and Meg like skiing Whistler.
• either … or
  • Luis will live either in Spain or in Portugal.
• neither … nor
  • Neither you nor I have to work tomorrow.
• not only … but also
  • Maria not only sings but also plays guitar.

Parallelism with correlative conjunctions

Since the elements joined by correlative conjunctions are of equal value, it’s important to make them parallel in structure—that is, to use the same grammatical structure for each element.

Here are some examples of parallelism with correlative conjunctions:

• two noun phrases
  • You should enter both the date and the time.
• two prepositional phrases
  • My keys are either on my desk or in my coat pocket.
• two verbs
  • The candidate who missed the appointment neither called nor emailed to explain his absence.
• two verbal phrases
  • It is vital not only to know the law but also to follow it.

Here is an example of a poorly structured sentence:

• Lise either went to the weight room or the sauna.

As you can see, the above sentence isn’t parallel. Because either is followed by an entire predicate (went to the weight room) and or is followed only by a noun phrase (the sauna), the two halves of the structure are not balanced.

To make the structure parallel, we could rewrite the sentence in any of the following ways:

• Lise went either to the weight room or to the sauna. [two prepositional phrases]
• Lise went to either the weight room or the sauna. [two noun phrases]
• Lise either went to the weight room or had a sauna. [two predicates]

Agreement in correlative conjunctions

When correlative conjunctions are used to join two or more subjects, the verb should agree in number with the nearest subject.

• Either Ashley or her assistants are accepting the award.
• “Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these courageous couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”

Additional information

• Correlative conjunctions: Both … and
• Correlative conjunctions: Either … or
• Correlative conjunctions: Neither … nor
• Predicate

Quizzes

• Correlative conjunctions: Spot the parallel structure!
• Correlative conjunctions: Parallel or not?