Which of the following sentences are grammatically correct?
A. I could neither contact Suman or Rita.
B. She both accused me and my sister.
C. English is difficult not only to speak but also to write.
D. He knows either me or my wife.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → C and D only
Correlative conjunctions:
- Correlative conjunctions work in fixed pairs: either ... or, neither ... nor, both ... and, not only ... but also.
- Each part of the pair stands directly before one of the two matching (parallel) words or phrases.
(A) I could neither contact Suman or Rita. — Incorrect. "Neither" is paired with nor, never with "or", and it should stand before the first of the two names.
Corrected: I could contact neither Suman nor Rita.
(B) She both accused me and my sister. — Incorrect. "Both" stands before the verb, but the parallel words are the two objects "me" and "my sister".
Corrected: She accused both me and my sister.
(C) English is difficult not only to speak but also to write. — Correct. "Not only" and "but also" stand before the parallel infinitives "to speak" and "to write".
(D) He knows either me or my wife. — Correct. "Either" and "or" stand before the two parallel objects "me" and "my wife".