Correlative Conjunctions

Correlative conjunctions are pairs of conjunctions that work together. Some examples are either/or, neither/nor and not only/but.

Not only am I finished studying for English, but I’m also finished my history essay.

I am finished both my English essay and my history essay.

Make sure that you use both conjunctions when writing. Sometimes when we speak, we get a little lazy; don’t leave a clause unfinished or else you’ll have a problem with faulty parallelism.

You could use either.

This is alright for conversation because you’ll have something in front of you to point to, giving you a visual clue.

You could use either the spoon.

This is an unfinished sentence; there is a problem with faulty parallelism here.

You could use either the spoon or the fork.

This sentence is perfect because it lists both things to be used.