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Gergely Kovacs Posted 15 years ago
Grammar

"not only. . .but also" structure

I am trying to use the "not only. . .but also" structure in a longer, bit more complicated sentence. No matter how much I mix and change my words, however, something just doesn't sound right. Here is what I have:

"I felt excited not only by my impending trip to Madison but also by the sudden reappearance of my missing suitcase, delivered the previous night after I went to bed."

My goal is basically to say the above thought in a stylistic way that is both easy to read and goes beyond the simple, colloquial style of an average high school student.
  

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5 Answers
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Came up with the following but still not a 100% satisfied with it:

"My excitement was not only for my impending trip to Madison but also for the return of my missing suitcase, delivered the previous night after I went to bed."
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Both sentences are grammatical, but I think the first is better, because the emphasis is on the word excited, and, also, because the word 'for' makes it sound as if your missing suitcase still hasn't been delivered yet. You could put a comma after excited for greater emphasis.

In your sentence, the magic of your suitcase's reappearance is quickly undone by the certainty o
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By the way, welcome to the site Emotion: smile
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Thanks a lot for your response; it helps me and gives me more options to work with.
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Oh and thanks for the welcome; I am quite excited. Emotion: smile
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