not only, but also
Why is this wrong??
Britt not only enjoys listening to the band, but also going to their concerts.
why should it be:
Britt enjoys NOT ONLY listening to the band, but also going to their concerts...?
The second sentence is correct in order to have parallel construction. The pairing (not only...but also) includes only the two gerund phrases, so each part of the correlative conjunctions needs to occur just before each gerund.
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/conjunctions.htm#correlative_conjunctions
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/parallelism.htm#correlative
I still don't get why the second one is wrong.
The phrase "not only, but also" is a conjunction used to emphasize multiple actions or qualities. However, there are specific rules for how to use it correctly in a sentence. In the given sentence, "Britt not only enjoys listening to the band, but also going to their concerts," the placement of "not only" is incorrect.
To use "not only, but also" correctly, you should follow this structure:
Subject + verb + not only + the first action/quality + but also + the second action/quality.
Therefore, the correct version of the sentence would be:
"Britt enjoys not only listening to the band, but also going to their concerts."
The placement of "not only" before "listening to the band" enhances the emphasis on the fact that Britt enjoys both listening to the band and going to their concerts. This phrasing emphasizes the parallelism between the two actions and effectively communicates the idea that Britt enjoys both activities.