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Discussion Groups / English Usage / January 2009should not only be..., but also... vs should be not only.... but also
Hi all, I am confused with the usage of " should" conbined with "not only... but also...". Does it go this way: Should not only be..... but also...... Or this way: Should be not only..... but also...... Thanks, On Fri, 23 Jan 2009 09:43:26 -0800, tuyetnhungtsc wrote: > Does it go this way: Should not only be..... but also...... > > Or this way: Should be not only..... but also...... Either would be understood. Neither is 'wrong'. The second is more elegant in my opinion, others may differ. Thanks Derek I appreciate this. > On Fri, 23 Jan 2009 09:43:26 -0800, tuyetnhungtsc wrote: > > Does it go this way: Should not only be..... but also...... [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Either would be understood. Neither is 'wrong'. The second is more > elegant in my opinion, others may differ. > On Fri, 23 Jan 2009 09:43:26 -0800, tuyetnhungtsc wrote: > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > Either would be understood. Neither is 'wrong'. The second is more > elegant in my opinion, others may differ. I think there's more than elegance at stake here, though elegance is quite as important in language as in mathematics. When "be" comes before "not only", we have a right to expect it to be the verb of the "but also" part. When, on the other hand, "be" comes after "not only", we need (to avoid the famous garden path) a verb in the "but also"--but that verb may, if you feel like it for some reason, be "be". This is why the second version feels more elegant to you, I think.  SignatureMike. "Tuyetnhungtsc": >>> Does it go this way: Should not only be..... but also...... >>> Or this way: Should be not only..... but also...... Derek Turner: >> Either would be understood. Neither is 'wrong'. Actually, that depends on the rest of the sentence. Please don't ask questions about such short fragments. At least give us a complete sentence. More context is usually better. >> The second is more elegant in my opinion, others may differ. Mike Lyle: > I think there's more than elegance at stake here, though elegance is > quite as important in language as in mathematics. When "be" comes before > "not only", we have a right to expect it to be the verb of the "but > also" part. ... Exactly. Compare: 1. It should be not only safe but also give privacy. 2. It should not only be safe but also give privacy. 3. It should be not only safe but also be private. 4. It should not only be safe but also be private. 5. It should be not only safe but also private. 6. It should not only be safe but also private. Numbers 1-4 have a second verb, which may or not be the same as the first verb, while 5 and 6 have only one verb. Numbers 2, 4, and 5 are correct. Numbers 1 and 3 are wrong. I think Derek wasn't thinking about those cases. > When, on the other hand, "be" comes after "not only", we need ... > a verb in the "but also"... Mike is saying that number 6 is also wrong, but I think this one is a matter of opinion. Certainly it is fairly often used. I think it can be analyzed as having a repetition of "be" understood. In other words, 6 is possible as a shortened variant of 4. I don't think it should be called wrong, but you might prefer to avoid it in case others might feel it is. SignatureMark Brader "Do YOU trust US?" Toronto "YES!! Well, we try to." msb@vex.net -- A Walk in the Woods, by Lee Blessing My text in this article is in the public domain. > "Tuyetnhungtsc": > [quoted text clipped - 48 lines] > > My text in this article is in the public domain. 6 is wrong; it lacks parallelism. Thanks guys. I already use 5 for my text since it match the best my sentence: It should be not only accurate but also computationally efficient. Thanks. > > "Tuyetnhungtsc": > [quoted text clipped - 52 lines] > > - Show quoted text - |
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