Paired Words : Grammar and Spelling Tips
When you use pairs like
both . . . and, not only . . . but also or neither . . . nor, make sure that each word in the pair is in the right place. The two words should introduce symmetrical structures.
Example:
• We met both at home and at work. — This sentence is a right one.
• We met both at home and work. — This sentence is a wrong one.
Strictly speaking, you should say either one of the following two sentences.
• He looked neither to right nor to left.
Or
• He looked to neither right nor left.
But the following sentence is a wrong one.
• He looked neither to right nor left.
Similarly, a sentence like the following one is a wrong expression.
• She is not only a talented singer but writes her own songs. — This sentence is a wrong one.
You could rewrite it as either one of the following two sentences.
• She is not only a talented singer but also a composer.
Or
• She not only sings but also writes her own songs.
Tips |
Paired Words to HOME PAGE
There are a number of pairs of words which are joined by and or or which always or nearly always occur in the same order. For example, you always say bread and butter. Don’t say ‘butter and bread’. The following lists show some of the most common pairs for nouns, adjectives, adverbs and verbs.
Nouns:
- bits and pieces
- board and lodging (BRIT)
- body and soul
- bread and butter
- cup and saucer
- fish and chips
- flesh and blood
- food and water
- friend or foe
- give and take
- hands and knees
- health and safety
- heart and soul
- heaven and earth
- kith and kin
- knife and fork
- land and sea
- law and order
- nearest and dearest
- north and south
- nuts and bolts
- odds and ends
- pen and paper
- peace and quiet
- pros and cons
- room and board (AM)
- salt and pepper
- trial and error
- ups and downs
Together, he and I shovelled all the bits and pieces back in the tin box.
Tim crawled on hands and knees out of the water.
Adjectives:
- alive and well
- black and white
- born and bred
- drunk and disorderly
- good or bad
- hot and bothered
- hot and cold
- ready and waiting
- right or wrong
- safe and sound
- sick and tired
It’s nice to know he is alive and well.
I’m sick and tired of being pushed around.
Adverbs:
- back and forth
- backwards and forwards
- black and blue
- bright and early
- by and large
- cut and dried
- far and wide
- few and far between
- first and foremost
- here and now
- high and low
- in and out
- loud and clear
- now and then
- out and about
- really and truly
- rightly or wrongly
- short and sweet
- to and fro
- up and down
- well and truly
The plough is drawn backwards and forwards across the field.
They began jumping up and down.
Verbs:
- come and go
- ebb and flow
- fetch and carry
- forgive and forget
- huff and puff
- rant and rave
- twist and turn
- wait and see
- wax and wane
- wine and dine
People are ceaselessly coming and going.
Fish react to the state of the tide as it ebbs and flows.
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Just like collocations, word pairs are words that usually go together, for example, salt and pepper, we don’t say pepper and salt. That doesn’t sound right. There are no rules telling why it’s not right. They just do.
Here are more examples on WORD PAIRS:
• Husband and wife
Did you see the husband and wife staying in room 203?
• In and out
I have to go to work. I’ll be in and out in a flash.
• Knife and fork
Could you put the knives and forks on the table?
• Law and order
Law and order is one of the prime responsibilities of government.
• Lost and found
Where is the lost and found department?
• Name and address
Can I have your name and address, please?
• Pen and pencil
I always make sure I have pen and pencil by the telephone.
• Rain or shine
We’re having a picnic on Saturday – rain or shine.
• Right and / or wrong
Can you tell the difference between right and wrong?
• Trial and error
Most business success occurs through trial and error.
• Up and / or down
I’d like you to vote this procedure up or down?
Should we go up or down the stairs?
• War and peace
Life can be difficult in times of war and peace.
Nonreversible word pairs always appear in the same order, e.g., back and forth. It would sound awkward if we read forth and back. For many of us, certain words go together and we will automatically use the correct order. However, nonnative speakers will need to learn nonreversible word pairs.
Common Word Pairs
The following is a list of common word pairs. Collocations are also a good idea to learn if you are a nonnative speaker. These are words commonly used together, e.g., have a headache.
| Adam and Eve | life or death |
| back and forth | lock and key |
| bacon and eggs | lost and found |
| bed and breakfast | man and wife |
| birds and bees | name and address |
| black and white | nice and easy |
| body and soul | null and void |
| bread and butter | peaches and cream |
| bread and water | pen and pencil |
| bricks and mortar | pork and beans |
| bride and groom | pots and pans |
| business and pleasure | prim and proper |
| by and large | profit and/or loss |
| cause and effect | pros and cons |
| cloak and dagger | pure and simple |
| coat and tie | rain or shine |
| coffee and doughnuts | ranting and raving |
| cream and sugar | read and write |
| crime and punishment | right and/or wrong |
| cup and saucer | rise and fall |
| dead or alive | salt and pepper |
| down and out | shirt and tie |
| first and last | shoes and socks |
| fish and chips | short and fat |
| flesh and blood | signed and sealed |
| forgive and forget | slip and slide |
| front and center | soap and water |
| fun and games | sooner or later |
| give and take | stars and stripes |
| ham and eggs | suit and tie |
| hammer and nail | supply and demand |
| hemmed and hawed | sweet and sour |
| high and dry | tall and thin |
| high and low | thick and thin |
| hot and bothered | tossed and turned |
| huffing and puffing | touch and go |
| husband and wife | trial and error |
| in and out | trials and tribulations |
| Jack and Jill | up and/or down |
| knife and fork | wait and see |
| ladies and gentlemen | war and peace |
| law and order | wine and cheese |
If we forgot a word pair, please let us know via our comment form below.
Reader Interactions
Englishbix will help you to learn about some of the non-reversible word pairs. These pair of words will appear in similar order and they go together that can be read in back and forth. These words can be used by English learners to improve their vocabulary.
Below are a few common examples of English word pairs that go together from a to z.
| Adam and Eve | life or death |
| back and forth | lock and key |
| bacon and eggs | lost and found |
| bed and breakfast | man and wife |
| birds and bees | name and address |
| black and white | nice and easy |
| body and soul | null and void |
| bread and butter | peaches and cream |
| bread and water | pen and pencil |
| bricks and mortar | pork and beans |
| bride and groom | pots and pans |
| business and pleasure | prim and proper |
| by and large | profit and/or loss |
| cause and effect | pros and cons |
| cloak and dagger | pure and simple |
| coat and tie | rain or shine |
| coffee and doughnuts | ranting and raving |
| cream and sugar | read and write |
| crime and punishment | right and/or wrong |
| cup and saucer | rise and fall |
| dead or alive | salt and pepper |
| down and out | shirt and tie |
| first and last | shoes and socks |
| fish and chips | short and fat |
| flesh and blood | signed and sealed |
| forgive and forget | slip and slide |
| front and center | soap and water |
| fun and games | sooner or later |
| give and take | stars and stripes |
| ham and eggs | suit and tie |
| hammer and nail | supply and demand |
| hemmed and hawed | sweet and sour |
| high and dry | tall and thin |
| high and low | thick and thin |
| hot and bothered | tossed and turned |
| huffing and puffing | touch and go |
| husband and wife | trial and error |
| in and out | trials and tribulations |
| Jack and Jill | up and/or down |
| knife and fork | wait and see |
| ladies and gentlemen | war and peace |
| law and order | wine and cheese |
Keep exploring Englishbix to learn about minimal pairs used in speech therapy and correlative conjunction pairs.
Quick Links
- Examples of Correlative Conjunctions Pairs
- Final Consonant Deletion Word Pairs