She paused, and on the stranger gazed.”—Scott.
Here the subordinating conjunction of concession, though, seems to join two adjective modifiers of she. These are safe and the two participial adjectives, fluttered and amazed. Of course it would be proper to fill out the ellipsis and make a clause of concession, though she was fluttered and amazed, but it does not seem necessary, and we certainly would not supply anything if but had been used instead of though.
The subordinating conjunction than is used in this way between like elements oftener than any other, especially when it is associated with the adverb rather; for example, “Commonly a light is for the eyes rather than for the feet, and a lamp is to read or sew by rather than to walk by.”—Munger. The ellipsis after than may be supplied here, that is, we may make the sentence read as follows,—“Commonly a light is rather for the eyes than it is for the feet, and a lamp is rather to read or sew by than it is to walk by.” But if the sentence had been,—“Commonly a light is not for the feet but for the eyes,” etc., we should say that but joins the two phrases and that the first one is modified by not. So in the original sentence we may say that the first than joins the two prepositional phrases for the eyes and for the feet, while the second joins the infinitives to read or sew by and to walk by. Rather is then an adverb modifying in one case the phrase for the eyes, and in the other the infinitives to read or sew by.
Correlatives.—The correlatives when ... then, where ... there, so ... as, as ... as, though ... yet, whether ... or, have been sufficiently noted in previous lessons. There remains something to be said about the familiar pairs either ... or, neither ... nor, both ... and, not only ... but. The first three pairs are alike in use, the second word in each case, or, nor, and, being the connective, and the first no part of speech whatever. Either, neither and both, when correlatives, merely hint that the real conjunction is coming. The correct position of these words is immediately before the first of the two elements joined by the conjunction. Either and both may be omitted without affecting either the meaning or the structure of the sentence.
These correlatives are found with verbs, nouns, adjectives, adverbs, phrases, or propositions either independent or dependent; for example, “Generally, good useful work, whether of the hand or the head, is either ill-paid or not paid at all.”—Ruskin. “He neither pretended to high blood nor in good truth cared one fig about the matter.”—Lamb. “There is a working class—strong and happy—among both rich and poor.”
The correlatives not only ... but are different in some respects from the others. But is the conjunction, and only is an adjective or adverb modifying the first of the two words joined by but, while not makes this word negative; thus, “Longfellow has not only charmed the ear, but has touched the heart of the world.” In this sentence but joins the two predicates. The first predicate is modified by only and then denied by the negative adverb not. In this use but is not an adversative conjunction, that is, it does not signify any opposition between the two predicates. The sentence means that Longfellow has done two things which are in the same line of action—he has charmed the ear of the world and in addition has touched its heart.
It is not uncommon for but to be reinforced by the adverb also; for example, “Punctuality should be made not only a point of courtesy, but also a point of conscience.”
Exercise 23
State the office of all conjunctions in the following sentences. Determine, if possible, why the given conjunction is chosen instead of some other.
1. But I for one do not grudge Amos Barton his sweet wife.—George Eliot.