Ed eccoci forse arrivati ad uno degli scogli più grandi per gli italiani alle prese con l'inglese: le cosiddette correlative conjunctions.

Non perché siano particolarmente difficili, ma perché attorno a loro ha da sempre aleggiato un alone di mistero. Per fortuna i tuoi dubbi saranno chiariti definitivamente e sarà quindi l'ultima volta che ti chiederai: " ma quando uso either e quando neither?" e "ma in questo caso uso whether oppure if?"!

Iniziamo subito a vedere quali sono le correlative conjunctions più importanti:

• both...and
• not only...but
• either...or
• neither...nor
• whether...or

Task 1 (Vocabulary)

Listen to Katie saying some sentences using the correlative conjunctions. Repeat them aloud. Have you understood the meaning of all of them? (Check it with the transcript below).

• Both my sister and I studied medicine at college.
• She deserves that position not only for her skills but also for her sense of duty and commitment.
• I must either ask for a raise or quit my job. I cannot stand it anymore!
• Neither my friend nor my boyfriend liked the last movie by the Coen Brothers, but I liked it very much!
• You still don’t know whether you are going to study law or fine arts. You’d better make up your mind!

Task 2 (English in Use)

Look at these pairs of nouns and create a sentence like the one in the example trying to use the correlative conjunctions from above: e.g. Harry Potter /To kill a mockingbird – I like both Harry Potter and To kill a mockingbird – I like neither Harry Potter nor To kill a mockingbird  

The GodFather / The Lord of the Rings

Watermelon / Pineapple

Apple / Samsung

Facebook / Twitter

Nike / Vans

English / Spanish

The Voice /XFactor

Breaking Bad /House of Cards

Brad Pitt / Matthew McConaughey

Penelope Cruz / Scarlett Johansson

Nice one, uh?

Divertiti con altre coppie di nomi e continua a fare pratica!