One of the three kinds of conjunctions is correlative conjunction. (Subordinating and coordinating conjunctions are the others. We will deal with them in a moment.) Correlative conjunctions, like all conjunctions, link words and phrases together in sentences to show how they relate to each other or, in some cases, how they don’t.

You always use correlative conjunctions when you talk. Correlative conjunctions are used to say things like, “I could learn either football or basketball next season.” In addition, correlative conjunctions are a great way to make your sentences stronger and clearer when you’re writing.

What’s correlative conjunction?

Correlative conjunctions show how two words or phrases in the same sentence are related. Correlational conjunctions always come in pairs.

They can show a relationship between the two words or phrases, but they don’t have to. Most of the time, the words or phrases linked by correlative conjunction can be discussed independently. However, putting them together with correlative conjunction makes your writing more concise in these situations. It shows that the two things you’re talking about happen close to each other, at the same time, because of the same cause, or that they’re both different possibilities and results of the same cause or starting point.

Correlative conjunctions are used in the following sentences:

This afternoon, we could either hike up the mountain or swim in the lake.

You’ll need to show your parking pass whether you drive or ride a bike to work.

My boyfriend not only bought me a Nintendo Switch, butalso a lot of games for it.

Before we learn more about correlative conjunctions, let’s quickly review what conjunctions are and what they do. Conjunctions is the term that connect words, phrases, and clauses in a sentence. But, and are examples of correlative conjunctions. If you use a conjunction in a sentence, the words or phrases it links must have the same structure. Here’s how conjunction can be used:

She is careful and drives slowly.

“She drives slowly and carefully,” “She drives slowly and carefully,” and “She drives slowly and carefully” are all wrong. In the above example, the adverbs “slowly” and “cautiously” describe the verb “drives,” and the conjunction “and” connects them to give the reader the whole picture: The subject (“she”) not only drives, but also drives slowly and carefully.

When used with another conjunction like both, the word “and” can be correlative conjunction. Look at this as an example:

Both my cat and my dog like treats that taste like bacon.

Correlations always come in pairs, just like socks. That makes them different; conjunction isn’t correlative conjunction if it doesn’t need a partner for the sentence to make sense. Some of the most common pairs of correlative conjunctions are:

• either/or
• neither/nor
• such/that
• whether/or
• not only/but also
• both/and
• as many/as
• no sooner/than
• rather/than

We can look at a few sentences to see what we mean.

You’re either with me or against me.

Such is the gravity of the pollen that I can’t leave the room.

Last year, my parents went to both Hawaii and Bali.

She would no sooner leave on an exam than satisfy her hunger.

They’d rather see a movie than go to the mall.

What is the function of a correlative conjunction?

In correlative conjunction, two equivalent things are put together. We use the term “elements” to refer to words and phrases inside a sentence with similar meaning or purpose. Any of the following options are possible: a pair of words of the same type (adjectives, adverbs, verbs, etc.) The following examples illustrate correlative conjunctions in sentences:

Because of the unruly weather, the student missed both his English and Mathematics exams.

They not only ate the ice cream but also sang the whole night.

He wasn’t sure whether the book was classic or non-fiction.

The conjunction type known as correlative is one example of many more. Finally, subordinating and coordinating conjunctions round out the list.

When two parts of equal grammatical and syntactic importance are linked together by a coordinating conjunction, we say “together.” For example, when two independent clauses are joined, they can be joined by a conjunction. The word and serves as coordinating conjunction in the previous example. Generally, people think of coordinating conjunctions when they hear the word conjunction. For the seven coordinating conjunctions, the acronym FANBOYS works well:

• for
• and 
• nor
• but 
• or
• yet 
• so

This type of conjunction is called subordinating conjunction because it links two separate clauses. Thus, the conjunction shows that the two phrases have some connection, whether causal or contrastive. To illustrate, consider the following scenario:

Because of the traffic, he arrived late to work.

Conjunctions that serve as subordinators include:

• because
• since
• while
• whereas
• though
• although
• as

How do you know when to use correlative conjunction?

Correlative conjunctions are used when a sentence has two different ideas that are still connected. For example, if you and your roommate both tend to wake up early, “My roommate and I both wake up early” is a good way to say this.

Correlative conjunctions can help make a sentence flow better. Here is an example of a transition sentence in a short paragraph:

I applied for jobs at several places, but none of them hired me. The interviewers didn’t seem to like either my experience or my skills. So I’m going to look for work in a different field.

The paragraph will still make sense if you take out the second sentence. But that middle sentence gives more information and background. Here’s another example of a transition sentence with correlative conjunction:

I want to get a PhD. This is my plan, whether I get into my dream school or somewhere else. Who knows what I’ll do after that?

When using correlative conjunctions, the subject and the verb must match up. The verb is changed to match the noun or pronoun that the sentence is about. Look at this as an example:

Correct: Either Reyna or Abed will push the button.

Incorrect: Either Reyna or Abed pushed the button.

Using correlative conjunctions

Correlational conjunctions always come in pairs. Many of these words can be used without their correlative partners. When this happens, the word is not acting as correlative conjunction. Here’s what I mean:

She was so good at cooking.

The word “so” is an adverb in this sentence because it changes the adjective “cooking” by making it stronger. But the word “so” can also be correlative conjunction when used with the word “that.”

She was so good at cooking that even picky eaters liked what she made.

See how the two correlative conjunctions in this sentence show how one thing led to another? You can also break up the sentence:

She was so good at cooking. Even picky eaters liked what she made.

We can figure out the cause and effect, but putting these sentences together with correlative conjunctions makes it clear that her cooking and her ability to get picky eaters to eat makes a connection.

Look at these more examples of sentences with correlative conjunctions:

• Either my brother is playing video games on his PC or making music on it.
• Neither the package nor the bill came to us.
• Jenna not only plays the violin professionally, but she also sings for a living.
• We asked both the Losapios and the Rodriguezes to join us for dinner.
• There were as many people who wanted to join the programme as there were spots.
• Before I could answer, he had already called me back.
• Instead of scrambled eggs, the kids would rather eat ramen.

These sentences could be rewritten without the correlative conjunctions and still make sense, but they might be longer or less clear. For example, we can change the last example to “The kids would eat scrambled eggs, but they’d rather have ramen.” No meaning is lost, but the version with the correlative conjunctions clarifies that the kids like ramen better than scrambled eggs by putting it first.

Correlative conjunction questions and answers

What’s correlative conjunction?

Correlative conjunctions are pairs of conjunctions that link words or phrases with the same part of speech or have the same function in a sentence.

What do you do with correlative conjunction?

Correlative conjunctions are used to make writing flow better, cut down on repetition, and clarify how two words or phrases that are the same fit together in a sentence. They can be used to talk about cause and effect, but they don’t have to be. Compare the following two sentences which have Correlative conjunction:

• She was such a great cook that even people who didn’t like to eat much liked what she made.
• She was an amazing cook because she could get even the pickiest eaters to eat what she made.

What are some common pairs of words that go together?

• either/or 
• neither/nor 
• such/that 
• whether/or 
• not only/but also 
• both/and

Total Assignment Help
Incase, you are looking for an opportunity to work from home and earn big money. TotalAssignmenthelp Affiliate program is the best choice for you. 

Do visit :https://www.totalassignmenthelp.com/affiliate-program for more details

Total Assignment help is an assignment help Online service available in 9 countries. Our local operations span across Australia, US, UK, South east Asia and the Middle East. With extensive experience in academic writing, Total assignment help has a strong track record delivering quality writing at a nominal price that meet the unique needs of students in our local markets.

We have specialized network of highly trained writers, who can provide best possible assignment help solution for all your needs.  Next time you are looking for assignment help, make sure to give us a try.