Definition:
Correlative Conjunctions are the set of two or more words that are always used together to show the relationship between two parts of the sentence.
correlative conjunction joins correlative elements together or refers to them as a unit.
Common correlative conjunctions include;
- And
- Not only
- But also
- Either or, neither
- Nor
- Whether
A correlative conjunction is a conjunction that links two elements of equal grammatical weight. In other words, it joins two clauses that could each stand alone as sentences and means both.
Conjunction that links two clauses in a sentence, where the clauses are of equal importance, and there is no other connecting word between them.
These conjunctions are often called FANBOYS because their names all start with the letter F. These letters represent the first letters of the correlative conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).
Using correlative conjunctions correctly in your writing can make your writing sound more polished, as well as easier to read and understand.
Correlative Conjunctions infographic
These conjunctions are usually easy to spot because there are only a few of them and they almost always end in -ever (such as no matter what or either way).
Most of the time, correlative conjunctions can be separated from the rest of the sentence with an ellipsis and they can be hard to spot if they are not used alone.
Correlative conjunction joins two similar ideas and creates a parallel structure, making the sentence flow more smoothly.
Conjunction | Types with example sentences
Correlative conjunction can be used in conjunction with many different types of words, including adverbs, adjectives, nouns, pronouns, prepositions, and verbs.
There are three main correlative conjunctions that are used in writing and speech:
Either/or, neither/nor, and not only/but also.
Some Useful Examples of Correlative Conjunction:
- Dell computers deal in both hardware and software.
- I will eat either beef or chicken for lunch.
- Sam likes neither milk nor yogurt.
- Sara can both read and write.
- I can have either coffee or tea.
- Neither Sara nor her sister is very tall.
- The farm has both beef and mutton cattle.
- The house is both beautiful and large.
- Not only Sam but also Sara is from UAE.
- Not only she is beautiful, but she is also brilliant.
So these are the example sentences, all the bold letters are under the definition of a correlative conjunction. Read more
