Tuongvan  +  626658 Tue, 30 Dec 08 02:33 PM Dear teachers, Can I say like this?: He not only doesn't buy my goods  but also disparrage them. Thank you in advance Tuongvan Joined on Sun, Dec 30 2007 Regular Member 975 van

	Mister Micawber  +  626688 Tue, 30 Dec 08 03:37 PM Almost. Not only does he not buy my goods, but he also disparages them. . Mister Micawber Joined on Wed, Aug 4 2004 Yokohama Veteran Member 26,613 'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master-- that's all.'

	Verb_aTIM  +  627323 Wed, 31 Dec 08 05:09 AM Tuongvan Can I say like this?:      He not only doesn't buy my goods  but also disparrage them. As long as you follow the parralel construction pattern, you are right.     He   not only         doesn't buy             my goods,             but also          (do)  disparrage     them.            (Parallel)       (Both phrases headed by a verb.). TIM Verb_aTIM Joined on Mon, Oct 27 2008 New Mexico, USA New Member 29 Pattern Seekers welcome. Constructions, Parallel Constructions

	nona the brit  +  627480 Wed, 31 Dec 08 08:39 AM Are you suggesting this would be ok? He not only doesn't buy my goods but also does disparage them. I suppose so...but it isn't a very natural way to express this. nona the brit Joined on Wed, Sep 22 2004 England Veteran Member 11,801 The name says it all. Animals

	Avangi  +  628257 Thu, 01 Jan 09 03:23 AM Verb_aTIM “Tuongvan Can I say like this?: He not only doesn't buy my goods  but also disparrage them. As long as you follow the parralel construction pattern, you are right.     He   not only         doesn't buy             my goods,             but also          (do)  disparrage     them.    (do you mean, "the verb, to do" ? -  Nona took your solution to be "does disparrage."  What's your intention?  I take it as meaning the user may choose between "he do disparrage" and "he disparrage."            (Parallel)       (Both phrases headed by a verb.).  TIM  ” Hi, Tim.  This seems thoughtful enough, but a bit manque.  The devil is in the details. It seems to me the details of your parallel are not correct.  I would put it:                   He      not only        doesn't buy               my goods, (but also)   [he]     <---------      does disparrage         them.   (not idiomatic)    OR         [he]        [also]         disparrages               them. The thing that was wrong in the OP and the thing which I believe is still wrong in your analysis, is simply the agreement of subject and verb as to person and number, "He also disparrage disparrages them," as Mister Micawber indicated. Best wishes for a happy and prosperous 2009!  Avangi Joined on Mon, Nov 19 2007 Veteran Member 7,327 ". . . le plaisir delicieux et toujours nouveau d'une occupation inutile." - Henri de Regnier Constructions, Writing, Animals

	myeung  +  628309 Thu, 01 Jan 09 04:47 AM hi all, i don't know why we need to put "does" before disparrages?  Also, as my teacher said before, the important one had to put in second. For example , Not only you don't do your homework, but also you copy it from the classmates.Is she right?   myeung Joined on Sun, Dec 28 2008 USA New Member 20 Animals

	Avangi  +  628333 Thu, 01 Jan 09 05:15 AM Note that TIM does not put "does" before "disparrages" (which would be a correct optional form of the simple present), he puts "do" before "disparrage," without the "s," which is a plural form of the verb: "We do disparrage them."  "They do disparrage them."  The sentence calls for singular:  "He does disparrage them." The "do" is required in negative statements, and in questions, and may be used in positive statements for emphasis: "Do you disparrage them?" "I do not disparrage them!" "I do repudiate my sins." I have always been taught to say, "Not only don't you do your homework, but you also copy it from your classmates."  I would never say it the way your teacher suggests, but it may be correct. Best wishes,  Happy New Year!   - A.  Avangi Simple Present, Plurals, Negatives, Present Tenses, Sentences, Animals, Simple Tenses

	Yankee  +  628405 Thu, 01 Jan 09 06:55 AM Just a couple of additional comments: Please note that this word contains only one R: disparage myeung “I don't know why we need to put "does" before disparages?” Basically, you should never use "does" with "disparages".  It is possible to use "does disparage" to form a question, for example.  However, as Avangi pointed out in his post, the use of "does disparage" would not be idiomatic in this particular sentence.  The wording/word order in both of the following sentences would be OK (but my personal preference would be the first one): - Not only do you not do your homework, but you also copy it from the classmates. - Not only don't you do your homework, but you also copy it from the classmates. Happy New Year everyone! Yankee Joined on Sat, Apr 15 2006 Connecticut, USA Veteran Member 5,783 Amy "You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." - Mark Twain Word Order, Sentences, Animals