“Not only … but also” looks simple, yet it causes frequent word order errors because it combines coordination, emphasis, and sometimes inversion in one structure. I have corrected this pattern in essays, emails, and lesson materials for years, and the same problems appear repeatedly: learners place the paired parts unevenly, attach “also” to the wrong word, or trigger inversion where none is needed. The phrase matters because small placement mistakes can make a sentence sound unnatural, ambiguous, or plainly incorrect. In practical terms, this correlative conjunction links two parallel ideas while adding emphasis to the second one. Used well, it sharpens meaning: “She is not only efficient but also reliable” is more pointed than a basic “and” sentence. Used badly, it produces mismatched grammar, such as a noun paired with a verb phrase, or broken rhythm that distracts the reader. To use it accurately, you need to understand three core points: what kinds of elements it can join, where each part should sit in the sentence, and when inversion changes the normal subject-verb order.
The key term here is parallelism. Parallelism means that the element after “not only” should match the element after “but also” in grammatical form. If the first side is an adjective, the second side should be an adjective. If the first side is a prepositional phrase, the second should be one too. This rule is not optional; it is what makes the construction intelligible and elegant. Another important term is focus. English word order signals what the writer wants to emphasize, so the location of “not only” determines exactly what is being contrasted or added. That is why native speakers often hear errors immediately, even when the intended meaning is understandable. Mastering this structure improves formal writing, presentations, and test performance because examiners and readers notice control of coordination and emphasis. It also helps learners avoid overcorrecting. Many people memorize one dramatic pattern such as “Not only did he arrive late, but he also forgot the tickets,” then wrongly force inversion into every sentence. The better approach is to learn the normal pattern first, then apply the inverted form only when it genuinely belongs.
The basic pattern: match equal grammatical parts
The safest way to use “not only … but also” is to join two elements with the same grammatical job. In editing sessions, I tell students to underline the words immediately after each half of the pair and compare them. If they are not structurally parallel, revise the sentence. Correct examples include “The course is not only practical but also affordable,” where two adjectives are linked, and “He not only sings but also writes,” where two verbs share the same subject. Noun phrases also work cleanly: “They need not only time but also funding.” The sentence fails when the halves do different jobs, as in “She is not only talented but also works hard.” Here, “talented” is an adjective, but “works hard” is a verb phrase. A parallel revision would be “She is not only talented but also hardworking,” or “She not only has talent but also works hard.”
Parallelism applies even in longer sentences. Consider “The policy affects not only hiring decisions but also how managers evaluate performance.” That works because both sides are noun-clause equivalents functioning as objects of “affects.” In contrast, “The policy not only affects hiring decisions but also how managers evaluate performance” sounds uneven because one side is a noun phrase and the other is a clause attached to “affects” differently. English allows some flexibility, but in professional writing, the strongest version is the one with the clearest symmetry. For learners who want a related guide to paired structures, see this explanation of either, neither, and both common ESL mistakes. The same principle applies: matching forms makes sentences easier to process and harder to misread.
Where to place “not only” and “also” in normal word order
Most errors come from placement, not meaning. In standard word order, “not only” should appear immediately before the first element being emphasized, and “but also” should appear immediately before the matching second element. If you want to emphasize verbs, place the markers before verbs: “She not only called but also emailed.” If you want to emphasize noun phrases, place them before noun phrases: “The committee considered not only cost but also safety.” If you want to emphasize prepositional phrases, keep both markers aligned: “The damage occurred not only in the lobby but also on the third floor.” The common mistake is to scatter the markers too far from the words they govern, producing uncertainty about focus.
“Also” deserves special attention because it is movable in English, but not equally natural in every position. Compare “He not only has experience but also patience” with “He has not only experience but also patience.” Both are grammatical, but they focus slightly differently. The first emphasizes what he possesses in a broader sense; the second highlights the noun phrases more directly. In real editing work, I choose the version that makes the paired items easiest to spot. With auxiliary verbs, placement matters even more: “The company has not only reduced costs but also improved service” is smoother than “The company not only has reduced costs but also improved service” in most modern prose. Technically, both can be defended, but ordinary usage favors placing “not only” before the main element of focus rather than awkwardly inside the verb phrase.
| Goal | Correct pattern | Common error | Why it is wrong |
|---|---|---|---|
| Join two adjectives | It is not only cheap but also durable. | It is not only cheap but also lasts long. | Adjective is paired with a verb phrase. |
| Join two verbs | She not only designs but also tests the product. | She not only designs but also careful. | Verb is paired with an adjective. |
| Join two noun phrases | They bought not only chairs but also tables. | They not only bought chairs but also tables. | Possible meaning shifts; focus becomes less precise. |
| Join two phrases of place | The issue appears not only in schools but also in workplaces. | The issue not only appears in schools but also workplaces. | Second phrase lacks matching preposition. |
When inversion is required, and when it is not
Inversion happens when a negative or limiting expression is moved to the front of the clause for emphasis. With this structure, that means a sentence beginning with “Not only” usually takes auxiliary-subject inversion: “Not only did the server crash, but it also corrupted the backup.” This pattern is formal, emphatic, and common in edited prose. Without inversion, the sentence is wrong: “Not only the server crashed, but it also corrupted the backup” does not work as a clause opener in standard English. If there is no auxiliary verb, use do-support, just as you do in questions: “Not only did she apologize, but she also offered a refund.” If the verb already has an auxiliary, invert that auxiliary: “Not only has demand increased, but prices have also stabilized.”
However, inversion is not required when “not only” stays inside the clause. “She not only apologized but also offered a refund” is fully correct and usually more natural in conversation. This distinction matters because many learners overapply inversion after memorizing formal examples. They write sentences such as “He not only did forget the file but also missed the meeting,” which is ungrammatical because the clause does not begin with the negative expression. In my experience, a reliable test is simple: if “Not only” is the first meaningful element in the clause, inversion is usually necessary. If it appears after the subject, use normal declarative order. This one rule prevents a large share of word order mistakes.
Advanced trouble spots: shared verbs, objects, and meaning shifts
Some of the hardest cases involve sentences with shared verbs or multiple possible attachment points. Take “She not only teaches English but also math.” Many speakers accept it, but the cleaner parallel version is “She teaches not only English but also math,” because the paired items are clearly the objects. Likewise, “He not only advised the team but also the client” feels incomplete to many readers; “He advised not only the team but also the client” is stronger. Placement changes meaning as well. “They not only suspected the data were flawed but also manipulated” is ambiguous because “manipulated” seems to need an object. A better sentence is “They not only suspected that the data were flawed but also reported the problem,” or, if the intended meaning is different, “They manipulated not only the charts but also the raw data.”
Another common issue is redundancy. Because the structure already adds emphasis, writers sometimes overload it with extra markers, producing stiffness: “She not only also called but also emailed” is plainly wrong, and “He not only just arrived but also immediately complained” is cluttered. Keep the pair lean. Finally, remember that punctuation rarely fixes a word order problem here. A comma before “but also” may appear in long sentences for readability, but it does not repair broken parallelism or faulty inversion. The real solution is structural. Read the sentence aloud, identify the first paired element, then confirm that the second mirrors it exactly. That habit builds accuracy quickly.
To use “not only … but also” without word order errors, focus on three habits. First, match equal grammatical forms: adjective with adjective, noun phrase with noun phrase, verb with verb. Second, place “not only” and “but also” directly before the elements you want to connect, so the focus is unmistakable. Third, use inversion only when “Not only” opens the clause; otherwise keep normal subject-verb order. These rules are strict enough to prevent mistakes but flexible enough to handle real writing. In reports, essays, and everyday email, this structure works best when it sounds precise rather than theatrical. If a sentence feels tangled, rewrite it so the paired parts are easy to see immediately. Practice by taking five sentences you already wrote and testing whether each half matches perfectly. That small editing step will make your grammar noticeably stronger and your meaning much clearer.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the correct basic structure of “not only … but also”?
The basic rule is that “not only” and “but also” should connect two parts of a sentence that are grammatically parallel. In other words, the two elements being joined should match in form. You can connect two nouns, two verbs, two adjectives, two prepositional phrases, or two full clauses, but the structure on both sides should stay balanced. For example, “She is not only intelligent but also hardworking” works because both words are adjectives. “He not only called but also emailed” works because both are verbs. “They visited not only Paris but also Rome” works because both are nouns.
Most word order errors happen when writers break that parallel structure without noticing it. A sentence like “She not only likes reading but also to write” sounds off because “reading” and “to write” do not match. A better version is “She likes not only reading but also writing” or “She not only likes to read but also likes to write.” Both halves now follow the same pattern. If you remember one core principle, make it this one: whatever comes after “not only” should match what comes after “but also.” That simple check prevents many unnatural or confusing sentences.
2. Where should “also” go so the sentence does not sound awkward or unclear?
“Also” should sit as close as possible to the second element being emphasized. This matters because if “also” is misplaced, the sentence can sound clumsy or suggest the wrong meaning. In a clean structure, “but also” introduces the second parallel item directly. For example, “The course improves not only grammar but also confidence” is clear because “also” belongs naturally with “confidence.” Likewise, “She not only sings but also dances” works because the second verb follows the full connector.
Writers often create problems by separating “also” from the word or phrase it belongs to. For instance, “He not only finished the report but he also submitted it early” is not always wrong, but it shifts the structure and can weaken the balance unless both sides are clearly full clauses. In many cases, a tighter version is better: “He not only finished the report but also submitted it early.” Another common mistake is attaching “also” to a word that is not actually parallel with the first part. If you are unsure, identify exactly what the second half is adding, then place “also” immediately before that matching element. This keeps the sentence readable, precise, and natural.
3. When does “not only” cause inversion, and when should I avoid it?
Inversion happens when a sentence begins with “not only,” especially in formal or emphatic writing. In that pattern, the auxiliary verb comes before the subject, much like in a question. For example, “Not only did she apologize, but she also corrected the mistake” is correct. “Not only was the plan expensive, but it was also impractical” is also correct. This structure adds emphasis, but it is only appropriate when “not only” starts the clause.
Many learners overapply this rule and create inversion where none is needed. If “not only” appears in the middle of the sentence, normal word order usually stays in place. For example, “She not only apologized but also corrected the mistake” does not need inversion. A wrong version would be “She not only did apologize but also corrected the mistake” unless you are using special stress for contrast. The safest guideline is this: use inversion after “not only” only when that expression comes first in the clause and introduces the emphasis. Otherwise, keep standard word order. This distinction is one of the most common sources of error, especially in essays where writers try to sound formal but end up forcing an unnatural pattern.
4. How can I check whether the two parts are balanced and parallel?
A practical way to check your sentence is to isolate the two elements being connected and compare their grammatical form. Ask yourself: am I joining two nouns, two verb phrases, two adjectives, or two clauses? If the answer is mixed, the sentence may need revision. For example, “The job requires not only patience but also to be organized” is unbalanced because “patience” is a noun and “to be organized” is an infinitive phrase. A better version is “The job requires not only patience but also organization” or “The job requires you not only to be patient but also to be organized.” In both revisions, the paired parts match.
This check is especially useful in long sentences, where word order errors are easier to miss. Consider a sentence like “The new system not only reduces costs for the company but also employees work more efficiently.” That feels awkward because the first half contains a verb phrase, while the second half shifts into a full clause. A clearer version would be “The new system not only reduces costs for the company but also improves employee efficiency” or “The new system not only reduces costs for the company, but it also helps employees work more efficiently.” When editing, look at the structure after each half of the pair. If they do not mirror each other, revise until they do.
5. What are the most common mistakes with “not only … but also,” and how can I fix them?
The most common mistakes fall into three groups: uneven pairing, misplaced “also,” and unnecessary inversion. Uneven pairing happens when the first and second elements do not match grammatically, such as mixing a noun with a verb phrase or a gerund with an infinitive. Misplaced “also” happens when it is too far from the item it modifies, making the sentence sound unnatural or changing the meaning. Unnecessary inversion happens when writers use question-like word order even though “not only” does not begin the clause. These errors are common because the expression combines grammar and emphasis at the same time, so a sentence can seem correct at first glance even when the structure is off.
To fix these problems, use a simple editing process. First, identify exactly what two things are being connected. Second, make sure they match in form. Third, place “but also” directly before the second matching element. Fourth, check whether “not only” begins the clause; if it does, inversion may be needed, and if it does not, standard word order is usually correct. For example, change “He not only is talented but also works hard” to “He is not only talented but also hardworking” if you want adjectives, or to “He not only has talent but also works hard” if you want parallel verb-based ideas. With careful placement and a quick parallel-structure check, most errors disappear, and the sentence becomes smoother, clearer, and more professional.
