Beyond Rankers Academy
Building Minds, Not Just Rankers
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Beyond Rankers Academy
Building Minds, Not Just Rankers
Main site →
You know FANBOYS and words like because and although. Now meet conjunctions that work in PAIRS — either...or, neither...nor, not only...but also — always used together, never alone.
FANBOYS (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) join equal ideas. Words like because, although and if join a main idea to a dependent one.
These conjunctions always come in TWO parts, working as a team across the sentence.
| Pair | Example |
|---|---|
| either … or | Either you or I will go. |
| neither … nor | Neither Riya nor Aman came. |
| both … and | Both the teacher and the class enjoyed it. |
| not only … but also | She is not only smart but also kind. |
| whether … or | I don't know whether he will come or not. |
Once you start with the first half of a pair, the sentence commits you to using its exact partner.
Never mix the pairs! "Either you or I" is correct. "Either you nor I" is wrong — "either" always needs "or", and "neither" always needs "nor".
12 IEO-style questions on conjunctions. 🍀