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English 1b3 Posted 14 years ago
Grammar
"Not only that, (but)..."
1. My car gets me from a to b. Not only that, but it gets me there in style.
2. My car gets me from a to b. Not only that, it gets me there in style.
Do we need the conjunction but? It sounds better to my ear without it, but I understand there is a comma splice without it.
Your thoughts?
Thanks
2. My car gets me from a to b. Not only that, it gets me there in style.
Do we need the conjunction but? It sounds better to my ear without it, but I understand there is a comma splice without it.
Your thoughts?
Thanks
Top answer
In #2, replace the comma with a semicolon or colon or m-dash (preferably the last).
- In #2, replace the comma with a semicolon or colon or m-dash (preferably the last).
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3 Answers
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In #2, replace the comma with a semicolon or colon or m-dash (preferably the last).
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Hi,
I would have thought an m-dash is your only correct suggestion.
A semicolon joins two main clauses (and has one other unrelated use), but the conjunction 'not only' means the clause 'Not only that' is subordinate.
And a colon requires the preceding words to be a main clause; for instance, a below is incorrect, while b is not:
a. I wanted to
I would have thought an m-dash is your only correct suggestion.
A semicolon joins two main clauses (and has one other unrelated use), but the conjunction 'not only' means the clause 'Not only that' is subordinate.
And a colon requires the preceding words to be a main clause; for instance, a below is incorrect, while b is not:
a. I wanted to
00
I see 'Not only that' as a stand-alone sentence in the utterance, but you are right: the point being that the text is too informal for anything but an m-dash.
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