Correlative Conjunctions:

 ۱)   either … or …:

This structure can be used in two different ways:

 A: To connect parallel structures as follows:

a. Two verb phrases: To improve your speaking you should either listen to different materials or find a partner.

b. Two adjectives: Most politicians are either mad or bad.

c. Two prepositional phrases: He must be working either at home or in the office.

d. Two nouns: Either my neighbor or my friends are going to help me hold a party.

 B: To connect two complete sentences:

Either we should cut down on energy consumption, or we will face a terrible crisis in near future.

*In this case we must use a “, “after the first sentence.

 ۲) Neither … nor …:

These conjunctions are used to connect parallel structures as follows:

 a. Two nouns: Neither capital punishment nor death sentence deters crime in society.

b. Two adjectives: Nuclear energy is neither safe nor economical.

c. Two adverbs: In my country, nuclear power is viewed neither optimistically nor pessimistically.

d. Two verbs: Modern advertisements neither help people nor give them information.

 ۳) Not only … but also …:

This structure can be used in 2 different ways:

 A: To connect parallel structures as follows:

a. Two nouns: Not only celebrities but also professionals sports people cannot enjoy their privacy.

b. Two adjectives: Satellites programs are not only informative but also entertaining.

c. Two verbs: Unemployment not only increases the crime rate but also makes our economy regress.

 B: To connect two complete sentences:

*In this case, the sentence after “not only” must be in question form.

Not only has air pollution endangered our life, but also plastic pollution has caused lots of problems for us.

Not only can’t war bring peace, but also it causes a human disaster.

Not only am I not overweight, but I am also in shape.

 ۴) Both … and …

These conjunctions are used to connect parallel structures as follows:

a. Two nouns: Both my brothers and my sisters have been living abroad for a long time.

b. Two verbs: My teacher both teaches German and studies Greek.

c. Two prepositional phrases: Starvation kills people both in Iran and in other countries.