Both...and...
How to use the "both...and..." construction correctlyThis is an entry on my list of Common Errors in English Usage. Visit the main page for direct links to additional entries.
When listing two things, the correlative conjunction construction “both…and…” is often used for emphasis. Though technically redundant since and by itself is sufficient to connect two things, this expression is idiomatically correct. However, both should not be paired with other expressions like “as well as”:
both teachers as well as students
both teachers and students
Other parts of speech such as verbs and adjectives can also be used in such constructions:
“boy bands” both loved and hated by the public
both moving and funny
Note that elements following both and and should be parallel in form. See my Parallelism page for more information.
Related Resources
Common Errors in English Usage: Errors in diction and idiom commonly made by native speakers of English
List of Common Errors in English Usage (PDF): Printable version of the complete list
Common Grammar Errors: A list of common errors in grammar (topics like subject-verb agreement and parallelism) as distinct from usage
List of Common Errors in English Usage: PDF version
© 2006, 2008, and 2019 C. Brantley Collins, Jr.