3 Cases of Not Only . . . but Also Variations

3 Cases of Not Only . . . but Also Variations 3 Cases of Not Only . . . but Also Variations 3 Cases of Not Only . . . but Also Variations By Mark Nichol Sentences that employ the â€Å"not only . . . but also† counterpoint (as in â€Å"I visited not only France but also Spain†) can confound writers, who often fail to apply logical syntax when using this construction. As shown in the examples below, such confusion often occurs in similarly posed statements. Discussion and revision of each sentence explains and illustrates coherent use of related constructions. 1. The idea was not to just construct a new arena, but one that would nod to the roots of the game. Just occupies the same role as only in a â€Å"not only . . . but also† counterpoint, and the principle is the same- when a verb applies to both the â€Å"not only† proposition and the â€Å"but also† proposition, the verb must precede â€Å"not only†: â€Å"The idea was to construct not just a new arena but also one that would nod to the roots of the game.† (Also, note that in this example as well as in the others, internal punctuation is not required to set off the two parts of the sentence.) 2. The above principles are not intended to prescribe specific reporting practices, but rather offer sound direction for the board and management to pursue. Here, as in a â€Å"not only . . . but also† construction of this type, the verb supports both elements of the not/rather counterpoint, so it must precede, not follow, not: â€Å"The above principles are intended not to prescribe specific reporting practices but rather to offer sound direction for the board and management to pursue.† 3. It’s not simply deciding how good or bad an individual playing card is, but rather how consistently the player manages his or her appetite to win and his or her tolerance for losing. This sentence does not have a â€Å"not only . . . but also† counterpoint, but it requires a similar construction to make sense. Because simply implies addition, not replacement, also should replace rather, and the second part of the sentence requires a verb equivalent to deciding: â€Å"It’s not simply deciding how good or bad an individual playing card is but also determining how consistently the player manages his or her appetite to win and his or her tolerance for losing. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:5 Uses of InfinitivesDeck the HallsQuiet or Quite?

Simple Écouter Verb Conjugations in French

Simple Écouter Verb Conjugations in French When you want to say to listen to in French, use the verb  Ãƒ ©couter. In order to change it to the past tense listened to or the future tense will listen to, a simple verb conjugation is required. A short lesson in the most common forms of this useful verb will show you how thats done. Conjugating the French Verb  Ãƒâ€°couter Écouter  is a  regular -ER verb  and it follows a very common conjugation pattern. This is good news for students who find these challenging because you can apply the infinitive endings you learn here to many other verbs. These include  assister  (to assist) and  donner  (to give). To change  Ãƒ ©couter  to the present, future, or imperfect past tense, simply match the appropriate subject pronoun to the tense. For instance, I listen to is jà ©coute and we listen to is nous à ©couterons. Subject Present Future Imperfect j coute couterai coutais tu coutes couteras coutais il coute coutera coutait nous coutons couterons coutions vous coutez couterez coutiez ils coutent couteront coutaient The Present Participle of  Ãƒâ€°couter The  present participle  also builds off the verb stem with the -ant  ending to form  Ãƒ ©coutant. This is an adjective, gerund, or noun in some circumstances as well as a verb. The Past Participle and Passà © Composà © The  passà © composà ©Ã‚  is a familiar way to express the past tense listened to in French. To construct it, conjugate the  auxiliary verb  avoir  to fit the subject pronoun, then attach the  past participle  Ãƒ ©coutà ©. For example, I listened to becomes jai à ©coutà © and we listened to is nous avons à ©coutà ©. More Simple Écouter  Conjugations Should you wish to express that the action of listening is questionable or not guaranteed, use the subjunctive verb mood. Similarly, when the action is dependent on something else happening, the conditional verb mood is employed. In formal writing, you will come across either the passà © simple or the imperfect subjunctive forms of  Ãƒ ©couter. Recognizing these will improve your reading comprehension. Subject Subjunctive Conditional Pass Simple Imperfect Subjunctive j coute couterais coutai coutasse tu coutes couterais coutas coutasses il coute couterait couta coutt nous coutions couterions coutmes coutassions vous coutiez couteriez couttes coutassiez ils coutent couteraient coutrent coutassent The imperative verb mood is used in short and often assertive statements. When using it, theres no need to include the subject pronoun: use à ©coute rather than tu à ©coute. Imperative (tu)           Ã‚  Ãƒ ©coute (nous)     Ãƒ ©coutons (vous)     Ãƒ ©coutez