He not only declined to comply with the instruction but hurled the passenger out of the lift.
(Rewrite the sentence by removing not only but also)
Answers
Explanation:
Writers typically, but not always, use both parts of the set, i.e. (1) not only, and (2) but (also). The first part is occasionally written not just or not alone, while the second part is commonly seen in the forms but . . . too and but . . . as well. These variants offer different nuances but not very different meanings.
It was not just a big bear, but a grumpy one as well.
Not alone did she win the race, but she also beat the record.
He not only used a fictitious example, but he reproduced it too.
But (also) is the most common root form, so I’ll focus on it in this discussion. Where the alternatives are not mentioned, consider them implied. When but is included you can either add also (or its alternatives) or not; both forms are common and standard. Hence the parentheses in but (also), which could also be written as (but) also, since but sometimes doesn’t appear either.
He not only used a fictitious example, but he also reproduced it.
He not only used a fictitious example, he also reproduced it.
Rowers not only face backward, they race backward.
The last example, from the New Yorker, is effective because of its succinctness and punchy rhythm. Adding but would impair it, while adding also would do little or nothing to improve it. Doing without but or also tends to reduce formality, or to reduce stiffness in formal prose, and can benefit short and straightforward constructions. Here are a few more:
“The street door of the rooming-house was not only unlocked but wide open” (Dashiell Hammett, ‘The Big Knockover’)
“Borges not only wrote stories but transformed them” (The Mirror Man documentary)
“She not only consults, she insults.” (Muriel Spark, Aiding and Abetting)
“The shape of Cleopatra’s nose influences not only wars, but ideologies” (Arthur Koestler, The Sleepwalkers)
“The omission of the also is not only frequent but Standard” (Kenneth G. Wilson, Columbia Guide to Standard American English)
“Not only are there verbs with similar meanings and different past-tense forms, there are verbs with different meanings and the same past-tense forms. (Steven Pinker, Words and Rules)
“…his application was not only refused by Bonn, it was hardly noticed and remained totally unsupported.” (Hannah Arendt, Eichmann in Jerusalem)
But (also) can appear by itself, without being preceded by not only:
“It depends on your point of view, but also on where you live.” (Don Watson, Weasel Words)
“The article, based on a lengthy interview with Kidd, but also on discussions with other figures in Joyce and general editorial scholarship, contained the essentials of the row which was then inevitable.” (Bruce Arnold, The Scandal of Ulysses; my underlines)
Not only could have been inserted as follows:
“The article, based not only on a lengthy interview with Kidd, but also on discussions with other figures…”
But whether this is preferable to the original is a matter of taste, not correctness.
Parallelism
Using not only . . . but (also) to frame parallel sentence parts can heighten clarity, reduce ambiguity, and lend elegance to one’s style. Nonetheless, many skilled writers eschew precise parallelism at no significant cost. It’s only when faulty parallelism is flagrant that most readers tend to notice it, or to notice that something has gone awry.
Short sentences derive force from simplicity and a lack of elaborate rhetorical devices, whereas longer sentences often need more emphasis on balance, to help the reader keep track of structure and constituent parts. Balance is boosted by careful placement of sentence elements.
Not only does the number of migrations vary with the month, but also with the type of species.
Not only does the number of migrations vary with the month, (but) it also varies with the type of species.
The number of migrations varies not only with the month, but also with the type of species.
These examples show the general benefit of careful placement of the correlative conjunctions. Though none is likely to confuse people, the third is the tidiest. Some style authorities consider this tidiness an essential point of courtesy, but sentence structure is not something most readers pay much attention to – unless it’s a mess.
To take a closer look at not only . . . but (also) in the context of parallelism and sentence balance, consider the following example: