Questions are framed by using wrong pair of conjunction in competitive exams; therefore, we should learn conjunctions with their pairs.
1) Scarcely/ Hardly is followed by When/ before.
- Hardly had the doctor reached then the patient died. (incorrect)
- Hardly had the doctor reached when the patient died. (correct)
2) No sooner is followed by than.
- No sooner had the hockey match started then it began to rain. (incorrect)
- No sooner had the hockey match started than it began to rain. (correct)
Questions are usually framed by using then in place of than.
♦ Note: Invert form of Verb is used with sentence starting with hardly, scarcely, no sooner, seldom, never & rarely. (Already discussed in Adverb (Rule 6)) like in the above example it would have been incorrect to write-
- Hardly the doctor reached when the patient died. (incorrect)
3) Although/ though is followed by yet or comma (,).
- Though he worked hard but he failed. (incorrect)
- Though he worked hard yet he failed. (correct)
4) Both is followed by and.
- Both Kohli as well as Rahane will play today. (incorrect)
- Both Kohli and Rahane will play today. (correct)
5) Between is also followed by and.
Questions are generally framed by using to after between.
- The briefing will be held between 2 pm to 4 pm. (incorrect)
- The briefing will be held between 2 pm and 4 pm. (correct)
6) Else is followed by but.
Questions are generally framed by using than after else.
- It is nothing else than pride. (incorrect)
- It is nothing else but pride. (correct)
7) Rather/ other is followed by than.
- I would rather buy a cycle than a car. (correct)
8) Whether is followed by or.
- I don’t know that he was present or not. (incorrect)
- I do not know whether he was present or not. (correct) [if can also be used in place of whether]
→ This example is important.
9) Lest is followed by should.
♦ Lest is a negative word, therefore we should not use not/ negative word after Lest.
- Work hard lest you fail. (incorrect)
- Work hard lest you should not fail. (incorrect) [usage of not with lest is not allowed]
- Work hard lest you should fail. (correct)
10) Not/ Never is followed by or.
11) Neither is followed by nor & either is followed by or.
- I have found that he is neither willing nor capable. (correct)
12) Not only is followed by but also.
- He is not only strong but also brave. (correct)
♦ Note: Neither—Nor, Either—Or, Not Only—But also join the same part of speech. [Imp]
Like in the above example, it is incorrect to write
- Not only he is strong but also brave. (incorrect)
[correct pair of conjunction is used but pairs are not joining the same part of speech; but also connects adjective (brave) while not only connects pronoun (he); since there are two adjectives in the sentence, we should pair conjunctions with adjectives]
- He is not only strong but also brave. (correct)
Similarly, try to find error in the given sentence.
-I have found that neither he is willing nor capable. (incorrect)
13) The same is followed by that/ as.
♦ That is used when the corresponding verb gives a clear meaning.
- This is the same car that I wanted. (correct)
Here, the verb (wanted) is clearly expressed, but if we use a pronoun (mine) in place of I wanted, we have to use as in place of that.
- This is the same car as mine. (correct)
14) So/ as is followed by as.
as--as is used in both positive & negative sentences while so--as is used in negative sentences only.
- It’s not as easy as that. (correct) [negative sentence]
- It’s not so easy as that. (correct) [negative sentence]
But if we write-
- It’s as easy as that. (correct) [positive sentence]
We cannot write
- It’s so easy as that. (incorrect) [positive sentence]
♦ Note: We have discussed in Adjective (Rule1) that pairs so….as & as…as are used in positive degree for comparison.
15) Such is usually followed by as, but sometimes we use that when a sentence expresses a cause or result.
- Wild animals such as white tigers are becoming rare. (correct)
- Nisha’s exam anxiety was such that it affected her performance. (correct) [expressing cause/result]
16) too is followed by to
- It’s never too late to learn. (correct)
17) We should use: seldom or never or seldom if ever (correct)
- Seldom or never she plays with us (correct)
We should not use: seldom if never or seldom or ever. (incorrect)
- Seldom or ever she plays with us (incorrect)