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Twistedthistle Posted 13 years ago
Grammar

Not only (without "but")

Hi everyone, I was wondering if you could help me punctuate this sentence:

By reusing your plastic bags, not only will you help the environment, you'll also save money.

Currently, i have a comma between the "not only" clause and the other main clause ("you'll also). However, I suspect i'm in danger here of committing a comma splice (as I'm omitting the conjunction "but"). Would it be more correct then to use a semicolon instead of a comma, thus reading:

By reusing your plastic bags, not only will you help the environment; you'll also save money.

the thing is, this semicolon looks weird here, no? I'd really appreciate your thoughts on this,

Thanks in advance,

TT
  

Top answer

I don't have any problem with just a comma. I wouldn't call it a comma splice. A semicolon looks wrong to me.

— GPY

  • I don't have any problem with just a comma.
  • I wouldn't call it a comma splice.
  • A semicolon looks wrong to me.
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5 Answers
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I don't have any problem with just a comma. I wouldn't call it a comma splice. A semicolon looks wrong to me.
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Hi GPY, thanks for your answer. I agree with you that the semicolon looks wrong, or at least out of place. But could you explain why you wouldn't consider it a comma splice? If you break it down syntactically, they're two independent clauses separated by a comma and no conjunction. Perhaps we could argue that because the clauses are so closely linked, they merit a comma instead of a semi colon on
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I can't think of any helpful explanation, except that it "looks OK". Perhaps someone else has an idea.
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twistedthistlenot only will you help the environment, you'll also save money.
I try to avoid that slapdash construction as much as possible. Neither a comma nor a semicolon seems satisfactory there, although you are right in suspecting that both clauses are independent.

I’d do this:

By reusing your plastic bags, you’ll not only help the en
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thanks aspara gus, I'd actually already changed it to what you'd suggested before i saw your message, for the same reasons--that it looked slapdash. Thanks anyway!
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