FAQs about sentence and word structure

What is the difference between active and passive voice?

In the active voice, the subject of the sentence is the “doer” of the action (e.g., “He cooked the food”), but in the passive voice the subject is the “recipient” of this action (e.g., “The food was cooked by him”).

You can use Quillbot’s free Grammar Checker to identify uses of the passive voice in your writing.

Read this FAQ: What is the difference between active and passive voice?

Is an object complement a noun?

An object complement can be a noun or noun phrase, but it can also be an adjective or adjective phrase.

Object complements follow a direct object and describe or rename it. For example:

• They appointed me president. [noun]
• I consider her the perfect teacher. [noun phrase]
• The chlorine turned my hair green. [adjective]
• The critic found the book trite and predictable. [adjective phrase]

Quillbot’s Grammar Checker can help you ensure you’re using object complements correctly.

Read this FAQ: Is an object complement a noun?

What’s the difference between a subject complement and an object complement?

Both object complements and subject complements rename or describe a noun or pronoun.

• Subject complements come after a linking verb and describe the subject of a sentence.
• Object complements come after and describe a direct object.

Quillbot’s Grammar Checker can help you use subject and object complements correctly.

Read this FAQ: What’s the difference between a subject complement and an object complement?

What are some either or examples?

Either … or is a correlative conjunction that can be used in a variety of ways in sentences. Some examples are:

• Either my mom or my dad will give me a ride.
• They said we could either sit in the balcony or stand near the stage.
• Either pay attention, or leave.
• I’ll take either a soda or a water.

The Quillbot Grammar Checker can help ensure you’re using either … or correctly.

Read this FAQ: What are some either or examples?

Is it neither nor or neither or?

The correct form of the correlative conjunction is neither … nor (e.g., “We have neither the capital nor the name recognition to expand into a new market”). “Or” is never used with “neither.”

A Quillbot Grammar Check can help ensure you’re using correlative conjunctions and negatives like “neither … nor” correctly.

Read this FAQ: Is it neither nor or neither or?

What are some neither nor examples?

Some examples of sentences using neither … nor (a correlative conjunction) are:

• The marketing campaign neither attracted new users nor increased sales.
• Neither the actors nor the studios were satisfied with the result of the negotiations.
• My date was neither charming nor intelligent.

Neither … nor is also used in some well-known expressions, such as:

• That’s neither here nor there. Let’s focus on the main issue.
• I’m going to follow my grandma’s advice: “Neither a borrower nor a lender be.”
• I can neither confirm nor deny that I saw Talia at the soccer game on her sick day.

The Quillbot Grammar Checker can help ensure you’re using “neither … nor” correctly.

Read this FAQ: What are some neither nor examples?

Should I use either or or neither nor?

The choice between the correlative conjunctions either … or and neither … nor depends on your intended meaning.

• Use either … or when you want to present two options (e.g., “We can either go out to eat or order in”).
• Use neither … nor when you want to express that two things are not true or did not happen (e.g., “We neither ate nor slept on the flight”).

When there is already a negative (e.g., “not,” “never “) in your sentence, use “or” to avoid a double negative (e.g., “We did not eat or sleep on the flight”).

The Quillbot Grammar Checker can help ensure you’re using correlative conjunctions correctly.

Read this FAQ: Should I use either or or neither nor?

What is a synonym for not only but also?

Since not only … but also is a correlative conjunction, there is no exact synonym. However, instead of using not only … but also, you could rewrite the sentence to use a conjunctive adverb such as “moreover” or “furthermore” instead.

The Quillbot Paraphraser can help you rewrite sentences and find alternative ways to express your meaning.

Read this FAQ: What is a synonym for not only but also?

How do you write a compound-complex sentence?

You can write a compound-complex sentence in many different ways, but it must have the following components:

• At least two independent clauses joined by a comma and coordinating conjunction (or semicolon, colon, or em dash)
• At least one dependent clause

These components can be arranged in essentially any order. For example:

• If the presentation goes poorly, I will call the client to apologize, but I don’t think we need to worry.
• I will call the client to apologize if the presentation goes poorly, but I don’t think we need to worry.
• The presentation went poorly; I called the client, whom I’ve known for years, to apologize.
• I don’t think we need to worry, but if the presentation goes poorly, I will call the client to apologize.

Quillbot’s Grammar Checker can help you use compound-complex sentences correctly.

Read this FAQ: How do you write a compound-complex sentence?

What is an example of a compound-complex sentence?

An example of a compound-complex sentence is “I want to go to London, but Carrie wants to go to New York because it is closer.”

This example has the necessary components of a compound-complex sentence:

• At least two independent clauses (“I want to go to London” and “Carrie wants to go to New York”) joined by a comma and coordinating conjunction (or a semicolon)
• At least one dependent clause (“because it is closer”)

Quillbot’s Paraphraser can help you vary your sentence structure in your writing.

Read this FAQ: What is an example of a compound-complex sentence?