"But also " without "not only "
I found the following sentence on BBC. What I cannot understand is the usage of "but also" without "not only". Therefore, I would really appreciate it if someone could let me know why they do not use "not only" in the following sentence.
Suspecting that this ratio would depend on local conditions, the researchers looked at northern China, which has seen intensive tree planting by the government because of climate change but also in an effort to reduce dust from the Gobi desert.
Reference :-
Top answer
I'd say you have found an example of careless or sloppy writing.
- I'd say you have found an example of careless or sloppy writing.
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
dileepaWhat I cannot understand is the usage of "but also" without "not only".
"not only ... but also ..." forms an idiomatic unit, but that doesn't mean the four words 'not', 'only', 'but', and 'also' cannot be used separately, or even that 'not only' and 'but also' cannot be used separately. The idiom itself is often shortened to "not only ... but".
0dileepaWhat I cannot understand is the usage of "but also" without "not only".
That is not unusual, and it is not the problem here. That sentence is a quote from a non-native speaker talking extemporaneously. He probably employed a model from his native language, I suspect Flemish. That "but" is misleading. "And" is more like it.
I've been trying to a
0
Related Questions