Correlative Conjunctions

What Is a Correlative Conjunction?

Just like builders need adhesives to join materials together to construct new structures, sentence writers need conjunctions, connecting words, to join sentence parts together. One type of conjunction is the correlative conjunction. A correlative conjunction is a pair of joining words that connects two words, phrases, or clauses that are balanced together.

The most commonly used correlative conjunction pairs are:

• both...and
• either...or
• neither...nor
• not only...but also
• whether...or

Rules for Use

When we use these correlative conjunction pairs together with words or phrases, we create a correlation or relationship between the two. However, in order to ensure that the sentences that are paired together are grammatically correct in format, let's look at the rules we need to keep in mind when using correlative conjunctions.

Subject-Verb Agreement

The verb in your sentence must agree with the subject that comes after the second word in the correlative conjunction pair. For example:

Neither Ramon nor his friends Stu and Carter like broccoli.

The two subjects in this sentence, 'Ramon' and 'Stu and Carter,' are separated by the correlative conjunction pair neither...nor. The subjects after 'nor' are 'Stu and Carter;' therefore, the verb must agree with this subject in point of view and number. 'Stu and Carter' is a third-person plural subject because it refers to more than one person. In fact, in order to determine the correct form of the verb 'to like' to be used in the sentence, we could substitute 'they' for 'Stu and Carter.' We would say 'they like.' Therefore, 'like' is used in the sentence:

Either Stu and Carter or their friend Ramon likes broccoli.

In this example, the subject after the second word of the correlative conjunction pair, or, is 'Ramon.' With the singular subject, 'Ramon,' we would say 'Ramon likes.'

Exception to This Rule

There is an exception to this rule. The subject-verb agreement rule does not apply to the correlative conjunction pair both...and because both...and indicates more than one and is thus plural. As such, the verb will always be plural. Let's look at an example:

Both Cheyenne and her brother like ice hockey.

Pronoun Agreement

Whenever we use a pronoun in a sentence, it must match its antecedent, the noun that the pronoun is taking the place of, in point of view, number, and gender. When a pair of correlative conjunctions is used to join two nouns, the noun nearest to the pronoun serves as the pronoun's antecedent. For example:

Not only the dog but also the two cats ate their food this morning.

The pronoun used in this sentence is 'their.' There are two possible antecedents for this pronoun: 'the dog' and 'the two cats.' Since 'the two cats' is nearest to the pronoun, it is the antecedent. Because 'the two cats' is third-person plural, third-person, and gender neutral, the pronoun 'their' agrees with it.

Not only the two cats but also the dog ate its food this morning.

Now, the pronoun is 'its' because the noun closest to it is ' the dog,' which is third-person singular.

Parallel Structure

The words, phrases, or clauses joined by a correlative conjunction pair must be parallel, meaning they have the same grammatical structure or form. This repetition of form or structure ensures that the two words, phrases, or clauses are balanced. Let's look at a couple of examples:

Rick cannot decide whether he wants to go for a hike or for a swim.

In this example, we used the correlative conjunction pair whether...or and made the sentence parallel by using the same structure (prepositional phrases) for the actions: 'for a hike' and 'for a swim.'

Rick wants to go both hiking and swimming.

In this example, we used the correlative conjunction pair both...and. We made it parallel by using the same structure for the action words (both ending in 'ing'): 'hiking' and 'swimming.'