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Liveinjapan Posted 18 years ago
Grammar

Not only but also

1i00You should 01b00be interested02b00 01u00not only02u00 01b00in 02b00things that can benefit you economically 01u00but also02u00 01b00in02b00 broader cultural things.02i02br
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01i00You should 01b00be interested 02b00in 01u00not only02u00 things that can benefit you economically 01u00but also02u00 broader cultural things.02i02br
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00I think they are correct but which is better to say?02br
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00Thanks02br
00LiJ0-
  

Top answer

0Only second one sounded correct to me. I don't like the idea of splitting prepositions in such structures. Even when you read, you feel confused, don't you?

— Doll

  • 0Only second one sounded correct to me.
  • I don't like the idea of splitting prepositions in such structures.
  • Even when you read, you feel confused, don't you?
  • 050010id35
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12 Answers
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0Only second one sounded correct to me. I don't like the idea of splitting prepositions in such structures. Even when you read, you feel confused, don't you? Or am I alone?050010id35
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0Hi LiJ 02br
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00As Doll said, the following sentence is correct.02br
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01i00You should 01b00be interested02b00 01u00not only02u00 01b00in 02b00things that can benefit you economically 01u00but also02u00 01b00in02b00 broader cultu
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0Thanks, Doll and YL.02br
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00I took a quick check on google and both are found. A Google search for the second structure in nytimes.com results in four times hits than that for the first.02br
00I think they both are correct but I don't know the difference of feeling.0-
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0Just be parallel.02br
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00not only in... but also in...02br
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00or in not only x but also y02br
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00Don't say "in not only x but also in y"0-
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1blockquote
01cite10Grammar Geek12cite10Don't say "in not only x but also in y"12blockquote
10 Hi Barb,02br
00 yes, but that's more related to style and "good writing" than grammar and idiomatic English, isn't it? I think native speakers are very likely to use unbalanced structures in everyday speech...02br
00 An
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0How in heaven's name can you seperate good style from proper grammar and idiomatic English?02br
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00Both (parellel) forms are grammatical. 02br
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00Your second example would leave me scratching my head on a first read -- am I not supposed to be interested in cultural things? And then I go back and figure out that "but also in" is a shortcut for "but
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0Yes! you are very right.0-
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1blockquote
01cite10Grammar Geek12cite10How in heaven's name can you seperate good style from proper grammar and idiomatic English?12blockquote
10Well, I was thinking of something like 01i00"Uh, y'know, I think it's, like, weird"02i00, which would definitely be idiomatic, but probably not good style if you put it
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0Uh, you know, you're like... right! 05002br
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00Oh wait, make that: You're so totally right!010id4
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1blockquote
01cite10Yoong Liat12cite12br
10As Doll said, the following sentence is correct.12br
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11i10You should 11b10be interested12b10 11u10not only12u10 11b10in 12b10things that can benefit you economically 11u10but also12u10
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