Shakespeare was not only a writer but also an actor.
Шекспир был не только писателем, но и актёром.
The system was not only complicated but also ineffective.
Этот метод был не только сложным, но и неэффективным.
The building’s design is not only functional but also beautiful.
Конструкция данного здания не только функциональна, но и красива.
It now becomes not only just a memory, but a treasure to my soul.
Теперь это уже не просто воспоминание, а сокровище для души.
This isn’t not only a sight cheaper but a damn sight eco-friendlier.
Это не только намного дешевле, но и куда как экологичнее.
Not only an ambassador, but an ambassadress had been asked to meet them.
Встретить их попросили не только посла, но и его жену.
I don’t think we should go out. Not only is it late, but it’s also snowing.
Не думаю, что нам следует выходить на улицу. Не только потому что уже поздно, но и из-за того что идёт снег.
ещё 23 примера свернуть
Примеры, отмеченные *, могут содержать сленг и разговорные фразы.
«You know that there’s not only contempt.» 
He came to the US and not only made it but made it big (=was extremely successful).
…the museum’s annual gala for charity attracts not only a very wealthy, but also a very cultivated crowd…
…a defense lawyer uses not only legal arguments but also moral suasion to appeal to a jury’s sense of right and wrong…
Byron lives on not only in his poetry, but also in his creation of the ‘Byronic hero’ — the persona of a brooding melancholy young man
Для того чтобы добавить вариант перевода, кликните по иконке ☰, напротив примера.
Not only … but also ….
Конструкция
Конструкция “not only …. bus also...” переводится как “не только …. , но и...” и используется для перечисления качеств, характеристик, действий и пр. кого-либо или чего-либо.
С чем используется
- с прилагательными (adjectives) – это слова, отвечающие на вопрос “какой/-ая/-ое/-ие?”, “каков/ -а/ -ы?”
Например: She is not only beautiful but also intelligent. = Она не только красивая, но и умная.
- с глаголами (verbs) – “что делает/ делал/?” и пр.
Например: I not only sing well but also dance perfectly. = Я не только хорошо пою, но и отлично танцую.
- с наречиями (adverbs) – “как?”
Например: She speaks English not only fluently but also naturally. = Она говорит по-английски не только бегло, но и естественно
- с существительными (nouns) – “кто?”, “что?”
Например: I like not only apples but also bananas. – Я люблю не только яблоки, но и бананы.
Как Формируется
Maria went to the supermarket with her mom. She also helped her grandparents.
- Кто?
- Глагол (что сделал/-а? – 1 слово)
- Глагол (что сделал/-а? со всеми подробностями)
Сначала определим, что мы перечисляем – в данном предложении это то, что сделала Мария. Значит not only будет стоять перед первым членом этого перечисления, а but also – перед вторым.
- Берем подлежащее (Кто? – Maria)
- Ставим not only
- Называем первый член перечисления (что первое она сделала? – went to the supermarket with her mom)
- Ставим but also
- Называем второй член перечисления (что второе она сделала? –
helped her grandparents)
Получаем: Maria not only went to the supermarket with her mom but also helped her grandparents.
В этой конструкции важна параллельность!
Что стоит после Not only? Глагол, прилагательное, существительное? Ту же самую часть речи ставьте после but also!
Примеры параллельности:
1. She is not only beautiful but also intelligent. = Она не только красивая, но и умная.
2. I not only sing well but also dance perfectly. = Я не только хорошо пою, но и отлично танцую.
3. I like not only apples but also bananas. – Я люблю не только яблоки, но и бананы.
А вот использование разных частей речи (игнорирование параллельности 
) делает конструкцию нелепой и ошибочной:
Например: He’s not only intelligent but also has a great sense of humor. – Он не только умный, но и обладает отличным чувством юмора.
Например: He’s not only intelligent but also has a great sense of humor. – Он не только умный, но и обладает отличным чувством юмора. Лучше переформулировать следующим образом:
He’s not only intelligent but also funny. – Он не только умный, но и забавный.
He’s not only intelligent but also funny. – Он не только умный, но и забавный. Особенности: Инверсия
Чтобы акцентировать внимание, эта конструкция может использоваться инверсивно, т.е. с необычным для английского языка порядком слов: сначала сказуемое (“что делает/делал?” и пр.), потом подлежащее (“кто/что?”).
Например:
Not only does he speak English but also Spanish. – Он говорит не только по-английски, но и по-испански.
Not only was it raining all day at the wedding but also the band was late. – В день свадьбы не только дождь лил весь день, но и оркестр опоздал.
Not only is he handsome but also intelligent. – Он не только красивый, но и умный.
Not only did she forget my birthday, but she also didn’t even apologise for forgetting it. – Она не только забыла про мой День рождения, но и даже не извинилась.
То есть предложение можно свести к конструкции:
Not only + глагол + подлежащее + первое перечисление, but also + вспомогательный глагол (если есть) + второе перечисление.
| Not only | does | he | speak English | but also | Spanish |
| was | it | raining | the band was late | ||
| is | she | handsome | intelligent |
А вот двойное отрицание, которое иногда используется в английском, в этой конструкции звучит слишком “нагромождённо” и будет считаться ошибкой:
Лучше переформулировать следующим образом:
Она не только не имела никакого опыта, но и соответствующего образования.
Ошибки
Разберем частые ошибки. Как говорится, лучше учиться на чужих.
Не там стоит not only – не забываем про параллельность. После not only стоит часть глагола (changing), поэтому по идее после but тоже должен быть глагол. Но чтобы не терять смысла предложения, лучше переделать так:
Цифровые камеры меняют не только искусство фотографии, но и наши жизни. =
Его усердная работа на уроках математики не только помогла ему добиться максимума своих способностей, но и постепенно улучшить их.
И опять не там стоит not only – разрывает глагол из двух частей (has и helped). По идее после but тоже должен быть такой глагол, который можно использовать с has (который у нас тут выступает главным, потому что стоит перед not only, и к нему должны присоединяться два однородных члена helped и to improve). Но вот незадача: has (как часть present perfect) to improve – грамматическая ошибка. Было бы improved – тогда никаких вопросов.
Что делаем? Перемещаем not only.
Его усердная работа на уроках математики помогла ему не только добиться максимума своих способностей, но и постепенно улучшить их.=
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#1
I have come across the following sentence in one of the articles on the BBC website.
Not only is the world’s population supposedly reaching seven billion today, the charity Plan International has anointed a girl born in India as the seven billionth.This sentence doesn’t make sense to me and I think inversion is used incorrectly.
Inversion is used when we’ve got the same subject in two clauses.
Not only is he funny, but also (he is) friendly. — inversion
Not only the dog was sick, but also the cat. — no inversion
In this sentence the subjects are different and I don’t think inversion should be used.
What say you?
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#2
Inversion occurs because of the negative construction at the beginning of the sentence. This is an obligatory inversion. All these require a subject-verb inversion:
Never have I been so insulted in my life.
Not until this morning did I realize I forgot your birthday.
I don’t like apples; nor does Anna.
Not only does inversion work with two different subjects in this type of sentence, but it is also mandatory.
There are other words that require inversion; check out this website for a summary of inversion types and what is and isn’t mandatory.
What I don’t like about the BBC article sentence is that the two clauses don’t match well enough to use a not only construction.
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#3
I think this is a case of a rule that works in narrow circumstances, but cannot be strictly applied in all circumstances.
I think it would be correct to say Not only was the dog sick, but the cat brought home six dead mice.Perhaps the rule should be that there is no inversion if the there is more than one subject have the same predicate: Not only the dog was sick, but also the cat (was sick). I’m thinking that if the two subjects are doing different things, you should invert: Not only did he get a new job, but his wife had a baby.
Your original sentence doesn’t make sense to me either, but I think it is because there is no «but» at the beginning of the second clause.
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#4
«Not only the dog was sick» is never right. Your sentence should go «Not only was the dog sick, but the cat as well.»
The logical connector «not only» need not only apply to situations wherein one subject has multiple predicates; it can merely refer to cases where the connection between two thoughts is «furthermore,» «and what’s more,» «and an additional matter,» etc. particularly when the second thought somehow exceeds or otherwise surprisingly builds on the first. So we have to be on-topic; «Not only did he get a new job, but his wife had a baby» would make sense, for instance, in a context of discussing how stressed-out he is. Then we would understand that one thing stressing him out is his new job, and what’s more, there’s an even bigger stressor: a new baby.
The question you should ask isn’t whether inversion is used correctly in your sentence, but whether — as airportzombie is correct to point out — the two thoughts are appropriately linked by the connector «not only.» I think it would be better to just link the two thoughts with an «and,» because there’s nothing particularly exceptional or excessive about the idea in the second clause.
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#5
«Not only the dog was sick» is never right. Your sentence should go «Not only was the dog sick, but the cat as well.»
I’m starting to think that «Not only the dog was sick.» could be a valid sentence. Only in this case is an adjective modifying dog, whereas in the not only construction, it’s an adverb. It’s meaning would be «The dog was not the only one sick.» rather than «The dog was sick AND …» I don’t think I would use such a construction myself, but thinking more on it, it sounds possible.
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#6
You are right, airportzombie. Not only (adverb) the dog was sick means that somebody else was sick as well. Not only (correlative conjunction with but also) was the dog sick… means that something further was happening as well.
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#7
Ok guys. Then take a look at the example I took from Practical English Usage by Micheal Swan.
Not only the bathroom was flooded, but also the rest of the house. (page 356).
No inversion is used, and I think it makes sense here. What do you think?
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#8
Yes, it makes sense because it means that the bathroom was flooded and the rest of the house was flooded. The predicates are the same for the two subjects.
Not only was the bathroom flooded, but the floor collapsed. Here the predicates differ and the you must invert in the first clause because «not only» is not an adverb; it is the partner conjunction to «but (also).»
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#9
Hm, you’re right. I guess «Not only the dog was sick» isn’t that awful. I retract my previous categorical denial.
I don’t see any reason, though, why the sentence shouldn’t be «Not only was the dog sick, but the cat as well.» (Or even «It wasn’t only the dog that was sick — it was the cat as well.») But in the case of «not only the dog» «not only» is a modifier and not a logical connector. ( — «God, my dog was throwing up all weekend. I’ve cleaned up so much vomit over the last three days.» — «Wow, that sounds awful. Your dog was sick?» — «Not only the dog. I was throwing up by the end of it too.»)
I suppose what I was trying to say was that, to use «not only» as a logical connector, you’d need to have a situation that fit in with the logic of «not only.»
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#10
I agree. The inversion not only sounds right to me, but would also be the way I would probably say it. Not only does the inversion…God bless English learners.
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#11
Then how are these two sentences different? Because I don’t see the difference
Not only was the dog sick, but also the cat (was sick). — inversion
Not only the bathroom was flooded, but also the rest of the house (was flooded). — no inversion
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#12
That’s the problem. There is a slight difference in overall meaning. I’ll try:
Not only the bathroom was flooded, but also the rest of the house. This is a simple statement with no emphasis that says that both the bathroom and the rest of the house were flooded. It is just adding information that it wasn’t just the bathroom that was flooded, but also the rest of the house.
Not only was the bathroom flooded, but also the rest of the house. This sentence does the same thing as the first, but it adds a dimension of surprise or emphasis. The added information is unexpected. I think that is the key.
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#13
Not only was the dog sick, but also the cat.
Not only was the bathroom flooded, but also the rest of the house.
I’m having difficulty with the above (inverted) sentences because they just don’t seem to make any sense. If we moved not only to the inside of the clause, it becomes clearer:
The dog was not only sick, but also the cat.
The bathroom was not only flooded, but also the rest of the house.
The second part is out of place with what the first part is saying. If someone started off with «Not only was the bathroom flooded, …», I would expect the second part to still have something to do with the bathroom because not only refers to flooded and not the bathroom.
Maybe it’s best stay away from not only constructions; as H. W. Fowler said in his A Dictionary of Modern English Usage:
Not only out of its place is like a tintack loose on the floor; it might have been most serviceable somewhere else, & is capable of giving acute & undeserved pain where it is.
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#14
Hi, all.
As I see it, we ought to make some changes in order to clarify the use of inversion/non inversion:
Not only was the dog sick, but my mother-in-law arrived from Pasadena — inversion (here «only» is not a near-synonym of «just)
Not only the bathroom was flooded, but also the rest of the house (was) — no inversion (here «only» is a near-synonym of «just)
Best.
GS
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#15
So interesting. A lot of this meaning also depends on inflection. If I read airportzombie’s sentences without inflection, they make no sense to me either.
In order for The dog was not only sick but also the cat to make any sense, I have to emphasize dog. Same with bathroom.
Maybe Fowler is right.
If I emphasize sick, then I am also expecting something else to do with the dog. The dog was not only sick, but also lame.
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#16
If we moved not only to the inside of the clause, it becomes clearer:
The dog was not only sick, but also the cat.
The bathroom was not only flooded, but also the rest of the house.
Moving «not only» to that position doesn’t work for me.
The apple was not only red, but also sour. = The apple was red and sour.
which means your sentences might say:
The dog was sick and (the dog was) the cat.
The bathroom was flooded and (the bathroom was) the whole house.
