Grammar Deep-Dive

Conjunctions — Complete Trap Guide

Neither/Nor · No Sooner/Than · Hardly/When · Lest/Should · Not Only/But Also

Conjunctions are one of the highest-frequency error sources in SSC CGL, CHSL, and UPSC English papers. The errors are formula-based: wrong pairing word, missing inversion, conjunction doubling, wrong modal after 'lest', wrong verb agreement. This guide covers every pattern.

📘 SSC CGL / CHSL📝 UPSC🚂 Railways🎓 IELTS Writing

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⚡ Why Conjunctions Cost You Marks

▸SSC CGL and CHSL have 3–5 conjunction-based questions every paper across error-spotting, sentence improvement, and fill-in-the-blanks.
▸'No sooner/than' inversion is tested in virtually every SSC CGL Tier-I and Tier-II paper.
▸The 'although…yet' conjunction doubling error appears in 3–4 papers per year — yet most candidates mark it correct.
▸'Lest…should not' (double negative) is a guaranteed question in Railway RRB NTPC and SSC CHSL.
▸The 'as well as' verb agreement error (treating it like 'and') costs marks across IBPS PO, SBI PO, and UPSC.

📊 Conjunction Pairs at a Glance

Conjunction	Paired With	Key Rule
No Sooner	Than (NOT when)	Inversion + past perfect in first clause
Hardly / Scarcely / Barely	When (NOT than)	Inversion + past perfect in first clause
Neither	Nor	Verb agrees with nearer subject
Either	Or	Verb agrees with nearer subject
Both	And	Always plural verb
Not Only	But Also	Parallel structure; inversion if sentence-initial
Lest	Should (ONLY)	No 'not', no other modal — 'lest' already = 'so that not'
Although / Though	Nothing (no but/yet)	Conjunction doubling error if 'but/yet' added
As Well As	—	Verb agrees with FIRST subject only (not a conjunction)

📐 8 Rules You Must Know

Rule 1

Neither/Nor and Either/Or — Proximity Rule for Verb Agreement

In 'neither A nor B' and 'either A or B', the verb agrees with the subject nearer to it (the subject immediately before the verb). When both subjects are the same number, no problem. When they differ, the closer one controls the verb.

❌ Neither the manager nor the employees was informed.

✅ Neither the manager nor the employees were informed. ('employees' is nearer → plural)

❌ Either the students or the teacher are responsible.

✅ Either the students or the teacher is responsible. ('teacher' is nearer → singular)

❌ Neither he nor I are going to attend the conference.

✅ Neither he nor I am going to attend. (1st person nearest → 'am')

⚠️

Exam trap: Examiners always place a plural subject first and a singular subject second (or vice versa) to confuse. Always find the subject CLOSEST to the verb — that is the one that controls agreement.

Rule 2

No Sooner…Than — Inversion + the Right Pairing Word

'No sooner' expresses an immediate sequence: 'A happened immediately, and then B happened.' Two laws: (1) The clause after 'No sooner' inverts the auxiliary and subject. (2) The second clause begins with 'than' — NEVER 'when', 'then', or 'that'.

❌ No sooner she had left than it started raining.

✅ No sooner had she left than it started raining. (inversion: had + subject)

❌ No sooner had I sat down when the bell rang.

✅ No sooner had I sat down than the bell rang. ('than', not 'when')

❌ No sooner did he arrive then we started the meeting.

✅ No sooner did he arrive than we started the meeting.

⚠️

Exam trap: 'When' belongs to 'Hardly/Scarcely/Barely'. 'Than' belongs to 'No Sooner'. Mixing them is the #1 inversion conjunction error in SSC CGL.

Rule 3

Hardly/Scarcely/Barely…When — Inversion + the Right Pairing Word

'Hardly', 'scarcely', and 'barely' are negative adverbs — they require subject-auxiliary inversion when placed at the start of a clause. They are paired with 'when' (not 'than'). The past perfect is used in the first clause; past simple in the second.

❌ Hardly she had arrived when the lights went out.

✅ Hardly had she arrived when the lights went out. (inversion required)

❌ Scarcely had he finished than the crowd applauded.

✅ Scarcely had he finished when the crowd applauded. ('when', not 'than')

❌ Barely I had slept when the alarm rang.

✅ Barely had I slept when the alarm rang.

⚠️

Exam trap: Students confuse 'No Sooner/Than' with 'Hardly/When'. Remember: No Sooner = Than. Hardly/Scarcely/Barely = When. Both require inversion. Both use past perfect in the first clause.

Rule 4

Lest…Should — Fixed Structure, No Negatives, No Other Modals

'Lest' means 'so that…not' or 'for fear that'. Because 'lest' already contains a negative meaning, you must NOT add another negative word. The only modal allowed after 'lest' is 'should'. The verb after 'should' is the bare infinitive.

❌ Walk carefully lest you should not fall.

✅ Walk carefully lest you should fall. (no 'not' — 'lest' already means 'so that not')

❌ He whispered lest he would disturb the audience.

✅ He whispered lest he should disturb the audience. ('should' only — not 'would')

❌ Study hard lest you may fail the examination.

✅ Study hard lest you should fail the examination. ('should' only — not 'may')

⚠️

Exam trap: 'Lest…should not' is always wrong. The most common error is adding 'not' after 'should'. The negative is already encoded in 'lest' itself.

Rule 5

Not Only…But Also — Parallel Structure + Inversion at Sentence Start

Two rules: (1) Both parts of 'not only…but also' must have parallel grammatical structure (noun/noun, verb/verb, adjective/adjective). (2) When 'Not only' begins a sentence, subject-auxiliary inversion is required in the first clause.

❌ She not only sings but also dancing.

✅ She not only sings but also dances. (parallel: verb + verb)

❌ Not only he won the prize but he also received a trophy.

✅ Not only did he win the prize, but he also received a trophy. (inversion: did + he)

❌ He is not only intelligent but hardworking also.

✅ He is not only intelligent but also hardworking. ('also' must immediately follow 'but')

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Exam trap: When 'not only' is mid-sentence (after subject), no inversion is needed. Inversion is only required when 'Not only' starts the sentence. Examiners test this distinction directly.

Rule 6

Both…And — Always Plural, Always Parallel

'Both A and B' always takes a plural verb — no exceptions. The elements after 'both' and 'and' must also be grammatically parallel (same part of speech, same tense, same form).

❌ Both the captain and the team was present.

✅ Both the captain and the team were present. (always plural with 'both…and')

❌ She is both beautiful and has intelligence.

✅ She is both beautiful and intelligent. (adjective + adjective: parallel)

❌ Both Ram or Shyam will attend.

✅ Both Ram and Shyam will attend. ('both' pairs only with 'and', never 'or')

⚠️

Exam trap: 'Both…and' takes plural always. 'Either…or' takes proximity rule. 'Neither…nor' takes proximity rule. These three are constantly mixed in error-spotting.

Rule 7

Though/Although/Even Though — No 'But', 'Yet', or 'Still' in Same Clause

'Though', 'although', and 'even though' already introduce contrast. Adding 'but', 'yet', or 'still' in the same sentence creates conjunction doubling — two contrast connectors for one contrast. One must be removed.

❌ Although he is rich, yet he is not happy.

✅ Although he is rich, he is not happy. OR: He is rich, yet he is not happy.

❌ Though she was tired, but she continued working.

✅ Though she was tired, she continued working. OR: She was tired, but she continued working.

❌ Even though he tried hard, still he could not succeed.

✅ Even though he tried hard, he could not succeed.

⚠️

Exam trap: This is one of the most frequently tested SSC CGL errors. The incorrect sentences 'feel correct' because the contrast is reinforced — but grammatically, one conjunction must go.

Rule 8

As Well As / Along With / Together With — Verb Agrees With First Subject

'As well as', 'along with', 'together with', 'in addition to', 'besides', 'except', 'rather than', and 'with' are NOT conjunctions — they are prepositions/phrases. They do not make a compound subject. The verb always agrees with the first (main) subject only.

❌ The teacher as well as the students are going on a trip.

✅ The teacher as well as the students is going on a trip. (verb agrees with 'teacher')

❌ The captain along with his team members were present.

✅ The captain along with his team members was present. (verb agrees with 'captain')

❌ She, together with her friends, are planning a party.

✅ She, together with her friends, is planning a party. (verb agrees with 'she')

⚠️

Exam trap: Students treat 'as well as' like 'and' and make the verb plural. It is not a coordinating conjunction. The first noun is the only subject. Commas around the phrase reinforce this — the phrase inside is parenthetical.

🪤 Top 3 Examiner Traps

Trap #1

No Sooner/Than vs Hardly/When — The Mix-Up

SSC CGL frequently places 'No sooner' with 'when' or 'Hardly' with 'than'. Both look correct at a glance. The rule is absolute: No Sooner = Than. Hardly/Scarcely/Barely = When.

❌ Incorrect

Hardly had she entered the hall than the ceremony began.

✅ Correct

Hardly had she entered the hall when the ceremony began.

Trap #2

Lest + Should Not — The Double Negative

The sentence 'He ran fast lest he should not miss the train' has a double negative — 'lest' (meaning 'so that not') + 'not'. The correct sentence means the opposite of what is intended.

❌ Incorrect

He ran fast lest he should not miss the train.

✅ Correct

He ran fast lest he should miss the train.

Trap #3

Although…Yet vs Although…(nothing)

This appears in 3–4 SSC CGL papers every year in the error-spotting section. The error is subtle: 'Although he was tired, yet he kept going' has both 'although' and 'yet' expressing the same contrast.

❌ Incorrect

Although he was tired, yet he kept working until midnight.

✅ Correct

Although he was tired, he kept working until midnight.

📋 Quick Summary

Rule	Correct pattern	Common error
No Sooner inversion	No sooner had + S + p.p. + than…	No sooner + S + had or 'when' instead of 'than'
Hardly/Scarcely pairing	Hardly had + S + p.p. + when…	'than' instead of 'when'
Lest structure	Lest + S + should + bare infinitive	'should not' after lest; using 'would/may/might'
Neither/Nor agreement	Verb agrees with nearer subject	Verb agrees with first subject or made plural always
Both…And	Both A and B + plural verb	'Both A or B' / singular verb
Not Only inversion	Not only did/was + S + … (sentence-start)	No inversion: 'Not only he did…'
Although doubling	Although A, B. (no but/yet)	Although A, yet/but B.
As well as agreement	Verb agrees with first subject	Plural verb because of compound-looking structure