Correlative Conjunctions Examples & Exercises with Answers

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Correlative Conjunctions

Correlative conjunctions are used to connect words, phrases, or sentences, and correlative conjunctions are used in pairs. Either…or, neither…nor, both…and, not only…but also, whether…or are the correlative conjunctions. Correlative conjunctions stress the connection between the ideas being connected and are stronger than coordinating conjunctions.

Correlative Conjunction- Definition

Correlative conjunctions are “made up of two or more words acting together as a pair, to link two comparable elements,” according to the Collins Dictionary. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, correlative conjunctions are terms “used to describe two or more objects that are connected to each other.” “Correlative words are frequently used together but are not frequently placed next to one another. According to the Macmillan Dictionary, correlative conjunctions include words like “either” and “or.”

Correlative Conjunctions Examples

Examples of correlative conjunctions are given below

Either…or
Neither…nor
Not only…but also
Whether…or
No sooner…than
Rather…than
Such…that
Scarcely…when
As many/much…as
Both…and

Examples of correlative conjunctions used in sentence

Either you study for it it or you will have to face the result.
Neither did Ron nor his friends attend the event.
Not only did they block the road but they also kept shouting slogans.
Manoj was saying that he is not sure whether he should go or stay there only.
No sooner did my mom complete all the household chores than she started cleaning the house.
He’d rather read the books than wasting time on phone.
My brother did such a stupid thing that everyone mocked him.
John had scarcely left work when his boss called and had to go back into the office again.
There are as many chairs as there are tables.
Both Riddhima and Sheena liked the movie.

How to use correlative conjunctions?

Before using correlative conjunctions, here are some points to keep in mind

When using correlative conjunctions, keeping subject-verb agreement in the phrase is the most crucial thing to pay attention to.
When joining two sentences with singular subjects with a pair of correlative conjunctions, the verb must also be singular.
When two sentences with multiple subjects are connected by a correlative conjunction, the verb employed should also be plural. If two sentences with singular and plural subjects are connected by a pair of correlative conjunctions, the verb should agree with the subject (noun or pronoun) that it is positioned closest to.
Another thing to look out for when using correlative conjunctions is utilising the proper pronouns in accordance with the sentence’s subjects.
When two sentences with singular nouns are connected by a pair of correlative conjunctions, the sentence’s pronoun must also be singular.
When two sentences with plural nouns are joined by a correlative conjunction, the sentence’s pronoun must also be plural. The pronoun should be made singular or plural depending on the noun it is closest to if two sentences with singular and plural nouns are combined using a pair of correlative conjunctions.

Correlative Conjunctions Exercise with Answers

Fill in the blanks using the correlative conjunctions given in the brackets and rewrite the sentence after using the correlative conjunction

My brother is ill. My sister is ill. (both……… and)
The teacher was not in class. The monitor was not in the class. (neither……. nor)
He is poor. He is honest. (thought…… yet)
The cloth may be in the bag. It may be in the cupboard. (either…. or)
There was a violent storm. Many trees were uprooted. (such…. that)
The doctor reached. The patient died. (hardly….. when)
He is strong. He is brave. (not only….. but also)
Do not be a borrower. Do not be a lender. (neither ….. nor)
It was very dark. We could see nothing. (so…… that)
The thief saw the policeman. He ran away at once. (no sooner….. than)

Check your answers

Both my brother and sister are ill.
Neither the teacher was in the class nor the monitor.
Though he is a poor yet honest.
Either the cloth may be in the bag or in the cupboard.
There was such a violent storm that many trees were uprooted.
The doctor had hardly reached when the patient died.
He is not only strong but brave also.
Neither be a borrower nor a lender.
It was so dark that we could see nothing.
No sooner did the policeman see the thief than he ran away.

Correlative Conjunctions- QNAs

Que. What is correlative conjunction?

Ans. Correlative conjunctions are used to connect words, phrases, or sentences, and correlative conjunctions are used in pairs. Either…or, neither…nor, both…and, not only…but also, whether…or are the correlative conjunctions.

Que. What are two correlative conjunctions?

Ans. Correlative conjunctions work in pairs like: either..or, neither…nor, not only….but also.

Que. Why do we use correlative conjunctions?

Ans. Correlative conjunctions are used to correlate two pairs of the sentence.

Que. What are the 3 main conjunctions?

Ans. The three main types of conjunctions are subordinating, coordinating and correlative conjunctions.

Que. What are the some examples of correlative conjunctions?

Ans. Some examples of correlative conjunctions are Either…or, neither…nor, both…and, not only…but also, whether…or.