PAIRED CONJUNCTIONS for Complex Sentences in English

PAIRED CONJUNCTIONS for Complex Sentences in English INTERMEDIATE ENGLISH GRAMMAR. Both… and… / Not only… but also… / Either… or… / Neither… nor… / Whether… or… / Whether… or not… / So… that… / No sooner… than…

Explanation and Extra Practice

Paired conjunctions (also called correlative conjunctions) are pairs of words that work together to connect ideas in a sentence. They always come in pairs and help show a relationship between the ideas or things they join. Here are the most common paired conjunctions explained simply:

1. Both … and

  • Use: To talk about two things that are true or that happen.
  • Example:
    “Both my brother and I like pizza.” (This means my brother likes pizza, and I like pizza.)

2. Not only … but also

  • Use: To show that two surprising or important things are true.
  • Example:
    “She is not only smart but also funny.” (She is smart, and she is funny. Both are true.)

3. Either … or

  • Use: To talk about a choice between two things.
  • Example:
    “You can either watch TV or read a book.” (You have two options: watch TV or read a book.)

4. Neither … nor

  • Use: To talk about two things that are not true.
  • Example:
    “Neither Tom nor Jerry likes carrots.” (Tom doesn’t like carrots, and Jerry doesn’t like carrots.)

5. Whether … or

  • Use: To talk about two possibilities. It means you don’t know which will happen.
  • Example:
    “I don’t know whether to go to the party or stay home.” (You are thinking about two things but haven’t decided.)

6. Whether … or not

  • Use: To talk about something that will happen in any case, no matter what.
  • Example:
    “She will go to the meeting whether you help her or not.” (She will go even if you don’t help her.)

7. So … that

  • Use: To show a result. Something happens so much that it causes something else.
  • Example:
    “He was so tired that he fell asleep quickly.” (He was very tired, and because of this, he fell asleep quickly.)

8. No sooner … than

  • Use: To show that one thing happens immediately after another thing.
  • Example:
    “No sooner had I sat down than the phone rang.” (As soon as I sat down, the phone rang right away.)

Extra Practice!

Beginner Level: Paired Conjunctions Quiz

  1. ___ my brother ___ I have visited Paris.
    a) Both … and
    b) Whether … or
    c) So … that
  2. She is ___ tall ___ fast.
    a) Not only … but also
    b) Either … or
    c) So … that
  3. They will ___ go swimming ___ stay at home today.
    a) Both … and
    b) Either … or
    c) Whether … or
  4. ___ Tom ___ Jerry likes pizza.
    a) Neither … nor
    b) Both … and
    c) Whether … or not
  5. I can’t decide ___ to buy the red shirt ___ the blue one.
    a) Not only … but also
    b) Either … or
    c) So … that
  6. He was ___ tired ___ he fell asleep immediately.
    a) So … that
    b) Both … and
    c) Neither … nor
  7. ___ Anna ___ Sam wants to go to the party.
    a) Either … or
    b) Neither … nor
    c) Both … and
  8. You can ___ come with us ___ stay at home.
    a) So … that
    b) Whether … or
    c) Either … or
  9. ___ did he forget his keys ___ his wallet.
    a) Both … and
    b) Not only … but also
    c) Neither … nor
  10. The test was ___ difficult ___ no one passed it.
    a) So … that
    b) Both … and
    c) Either … or
  11. We will decide ___ we should go now ___ later.
    a) Whether … or
    b) Both … and
    c) Neither … nor
  12. ___ the teacher ___ the students were happy with the result.
    a) Neither … nor
    b) Both … and
    c) Whether … or
  13. ___ will she accept the job ___ she won’t.
    a) Either … or
    b) Whether … or not
    c) So … that
  14. ___ he arrived ___ the show began.
    a) So … that
    b) No sooner … than
    c) Either … or
  15. I’m not sure ___ he will come ___ .
    a) So … that
    b) Whether … or not
    c) Both … and

Answers: 1a, 2a, 3b, 4a, 5b, 6a, 7b, 8c, 9b, 10a, 11a, 12a+b, 13b, 14b, 15b

Intermediate Level: Paired Conjunctions Quiz

  1. He speaks ___ French ___ German fluently.
    a) Both … and
    b) So … that
    c) Neither … nor
  2. I can’t decide ___ to eat pizza ___ pasta for dinner.
    a) Neither … nor
    b) So … that
    c) Whether … or
  3. ___ did he study all night ___ he took extra notes.
    a) Not only … but also
    b) Both … and
    c) Neither … nor
  4. We will visit ___ London ___ Paris next summer.
    a) Both … and
    b) Whether … or
    c) Either … or
  5. The storm was ___ strong ___ it knocked down trees.
    a) Neither … nor
    b) So … that
    c) No sooner … than
  6. I’ll help you ___ you ask ___ not.
    a) Whether … or
    b) Both … and
    c) Either … or
  7. They can ___ buy a new car ___ repair the old one.
    a) Either … or
    b) Both … and
    c) Not only … but also
  8. ___ my parents ___ my sister know about the surprise.
    a) Neither … nor
    b) No sooner … than
    c) Whether … or
  9. She is ___ intelligent ___ hardworking.
    a) So … that
    b) Not only … but also
    c) No sooner … than
  10. ___ had we finished dinner ___ it started raining.
    a) So … that
    b) No sooner … than
    c) Neither … nor
  11. He is considering ___ to stay in the country ___ to move abroad.
    a) Whether … or
    b) Both … and
    c) Neither … nor
  12. You will not pass the exam ___ you work hard ___ .
    a) Either … or
    b) So … that
    c) Whether … or not
  13. I wasn’t sure ___ to take a taxi ___ to walk.
    a) Whether … or
    b) Either … or
    c) So … that
  14. ___ did they clean the house ___ they painted it.
    a) So … that
    b) Not only … but also
    c) Both … and
  15. ___ had we left the house ___ we realized we forgot the tickets.
    a) Neither … nor
    b) No sooner … than
    c) So … that

Answers: 1a+c, 2c, 3a, 4a+c, 5b, 6a, 7a+b+c, 8a, 9b, 10b, 11a, 12c, 13a, 14b, 15b

Advanced Level: Paired Conjunctions Quiz

  1. ___ had the meeting started ___ the fire alarm went off.
    a) No sooner … than
    b) Either … or
    c) Not only … but also
  2. He is ___ dedicated ___ he never takes a day off.
    a) So … that
    b) Not only … but also
    c) Either … or
  3. We will ___ fly ___ take a train depending on the weather.
    a) Whether … or not
    b) Either … or
    c) Both … and
  4. I will help you ___ you need me ___ .
    a) Whether … or
    b) Whether … or not
    c) Not only … but also
  5. ___ did she study hard ___ she won a scholarship.
    a) Either … or
    b) No sooner … than
    c) Not only … but also
  6. I don’t know ___ we should go hiking ___ stay at home.
    a) Whether … or
    b) So … that
    c) Either … or
  7. ___ does she dance well ___ she sings beautifully.
    a) Not only … but also
    b) Both … and
    c) So … that
  8. The project was ___ complex ___ it took several weeks to complete.
    a) Both … and
    b) Neither … nor
    c) So … that
  9. We were ___ late ___ the event had already started.
    a) Either … or
    b) So … that
    c) No sooner … than
  10. They have ___ time ___ money to invest in the project.
    a) Neither … nor
    b) Either … or
    c) So … that
  11. He was ___ honest ___ he confessed to his mistake immediately.
    a) Not only … but also
    b) So … that
    c) Either … or
  12. She will travel ___ to Japan ___ to China next year.
    a) Either … or
    b) No sooner … than
    c) Whether … or
  13. ___ had he entered the room ___ the phone rang.
    a) No sooner … than
    b) So … that
    c) Neither … nor
  14. ___ the students ___ the teacher was excited about the trip.
    a) Neither … nor
    b) Both … and
    c) Whether … or
  15. ___ will I help you ___ I will explain everything.
    a) Neither … nor
    b) No sooner … than
    c) Not only … but also

Answers: 1a, 2a, 3b, 4b, 5c, 6a, 7a, 8c, 9b, 10a, 11b, 12a, 13a, 14a, 15c

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