Parallelism With Not Only… But Also

Not only… but also can be a difficult correlative conjunction to work with because of the extra words and their placement in the sentence. Just remember to use two verbs that make chronological sense, two adjectives, or two nouns.

He’s not only funny, but also he’s intelligent.

When using a correlative conjunction, both clauses have to be parallel.

He's not only funny but also intelligent.

He has not only a sense of humor but also intelligence.

Not only is Matthew going to Egypt for a month, but also Greece for a couple of weeks.

Because the subject is after not only, there also needs to be a subject after but also.

Not only is Matthew going to Egypt for a month, but he’s also going to Greece for a couple of weeks.

When writing, consider not only your topic but also your audience.

The name Ann has not only many different spellings but also many diminutives.