Correlative Conjunctions worksheet for language practice, designed by SplashLearn.

Let’s go through each sentence one by one and pick the best correlative conjunction pair from the box to make the sentence grammatically correct and meaningful.

We have these pairs to choose from:
- either/or
- neither/nor
- both/and
- whether/or
- not only/but also
- such/that
- rather/than

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Sentence 1:
> Can James come home at _______ 7:00 p.m. _______ 8:00 p.m.?

This is asking about two possible times — he can come at one OR the other. So we use either/or.

✔ “Can James come home at either 7:00 p.m. or 8:00 p.m.?”

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Sentence 2:
> She refused to wear the dress as it was _______ dirty _______ torn.

The dress had TWO bad things: dirty AND torn. But she refused because of BOTH problems. We need a pair that adds two negative qualities together → not only/but also works here (it emphasizes both).

Wait — let’s check: “not only dirty but also torn” = yes, that fits perfectly.

✔ “She refused to wear the dress as it was not only dirty but also torn.”

*(Alternative: “both/and” could work too — “both dirty and torn” — but “not only/but also” sounds more natural when explaining why she refused. Let’s stick with that unless another sentence needs it more.)*

Actually, looking ahead — Sentence 5 might need “not only/but also”. Let’s hold off and see.

But for now, “both/and” also makes sense here. Let’s compare:

Option A: “both dirty and torn” → simple, clear.
Option B: “not only dirty but also torn” → stronger emphasis.

Since the instruction says “use the correlative conjunctions in the boxes”, and both are available, we should assign them where they fit BEST across all sentences.

Let’s keep going and come back if needed.

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Sentence 3:
> I did not like the holiday. It was _______ long _______ fun.

It was long (bad) and NOT fun (also bad). So two negatives → we want to say it was NEITHER good NOR enjoyable? Wait — the structure is “long ___ fun”.

Actually, “long” is negative here, “fun” is positive — so saying “not long and not fun” would be ideal, but we don’t have “not...not”.

Wait — look at the options: neither/nor is for two negatives.

So: “It was neither long nor fun”? That doesn’t make sense — because “long” is already negative, and “fun” is positive. If you say “neither long nor fun”, you’re saying it wasn’t long (good!) and wasn’t fun (bad) — which contradicts the first part (“I did not like the holiday”).

Actually, re-read: “It was _______ long _______ fun.” The speaker didn’t like it — so probably it WAS long and WASN’T fun.

Ah! Maybe it’s meant to be: “It was so long that it wasn’t fun” — but we don’t have “so/that”, we have “such/that”.

“Such/that” is used like: “It was such a long holiday that I hated it.” But here the structure is “It was ___ long ___ fun.”

Hmm.

Wait — maybe it’s “not only long but also not fun”? But again, we don’t have “not” in the blank.

Another idea: perhaps it’s neither/nor, but flipped? No.

Let’s think differently.

Maybe the intended meaning is: “It was too long to be fun” — but again, not matching our pairs.

Wait — what if we use such/that?

“It was such long that fun” — no, that’s ungrammatical. “Such” usually goes with nouns: “such a long holiday that...”

Not fitting.

What about rather/than? Doesn’t fit.

Back to neither/nor — if we interpret it as: “It was neither [enjoyable] nor [short]” — but the words given are “long” and “fun”.

Perhaps the sentence is poorly worded, but in context, the most logical choice is:

“It was not only long but also not fun” — but again, “not” isn’t in the blank.

Wait — maybe the second blank is implying negation? Like “long and not fun” — so we need a pair that connects two ideas where the second is negative.

Actually, let’s consider: neither/nor can sometimes be used creatively, but standard usage is for two negatives.

Example: “It was neither short nor fun” — meaning it was long and boring.

But the sentence says “long” and “fun” — so if we say “neither long nor fun”, that means it was short and not fun — which contradicts “I did not like the holiday” — because if it was short, maybe that’s good? Not necessarily.

This is tricky.

Alternative approach: Perhaps it’s both/and — “It was both long and [not] fun” — but again, “not” isn’t there.

Wait — maybe the word “fun” is being used negatively? Unlikely.

Let’s skip and come back.

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Sentence 4:
> I am going to visit my friend _______ it rains _______ not.

This is classic whether/or — used for alternatives including uncertainty.

✔ “I am going to visit my friend whether it rains or not.”

Perfect.

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Sentence 5:
> He _______ ditched his homework _______ refused to do any in the future.

Two actions: ditched homework + refused to do any later. Both negative, and the second intensifies the first → perfect for not only/but also.

✔ “He not only ditched his homework but also refused to do any in the future.”

Great.

Now go back to Sentence 2: “She refused to wear the dress as it was _______ dirty _______ torn.”

If we used “not only/but also” in Sentence 5, then for Sentence 2, we can use both/and.

✔ “She refused to wear the dress as it was both dirty and torn.”

That works well.

Now Sentence 3: “I did not like the holiday. It was _______ long _______ fun.”

We still need to fill this.

Options left: neither/nor, such/that, rather/than

“Rather/than” is for preference: “I’d rather X than Y” — doesn’t fit.

“Such/that”: “It was such a long holiday that it wasn’t fun” — but the sentence structure is “It was ___ long ___ fun.” — missing article and verb.

Unless we force it: “It was such long that fun” — no, incorrect grammar.

“Neither/nor”: “It was neither long nor fun” — but that would mean it was short and not fun — which might still explain why she didn’t like it? But “short” isn’t mentioned.

Wait — perhaps the intended meaning is that it was SO long that it ruined the fun — so “such/that” might be forced.

But let’s look at Sentence 6.

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Sentence 6:
> _______ is the weather today _______ one can freeze ice cubes outside.

This suggests extreme cold — so “so cold that you can freeze ice cubes”.

We have “such/that” — which can be used as: “Such is the weather today that one can freeze ice cubes outside.”

Yes! That’s a formal but correct construction.

✔ “Such is the weather today that one can freeze ice cubes outside.”

Perfect.

So “such/that” is used here.

Now back to Sentence 3.

Remaining pairs: neither/nor, rather/than

Sentence 3: “It was _______ long _______ fun.”

If we use neither/nor: “It was neither long nor fun” — implies it was short and not fun. But the speaker says “I did not like the holiday” — which could still be true if it was short and boring.

But typically, if someone says “it was long”, they mean it felt dragging — so probably it WAS long.

Alternatively, maybe it’s a typo or misphrasing, and it’s meant to be “It was so long that it wasn’t fun” — but we don’t have “so/that”.

Another possibility: rather/than — “It was rather long than fun” — but that’s not standard. “Rather” is usually followed by “than” for comparison: “I’d rather walk than drive.”

Not fitting.

Wait — what if we use neither/nor but interpret “long” as undesirable and “fun” as desirable, so “neither [desirable quality] nor [another desirable quality]” — but “long” isn’t desirable.

Perhaps the sentence is: “It was neither enjoyable nor short” — but the words are fixed as “long” and “fun”.

I think the best fit, even if slightly awkward, is neither/nor, assuming the speaker means it lacked positive qualities — i.e., it wasn’t fun, and being long made it worse, but grammatically, “neither long nor fun” treats both as negatives.

In common usage, people might say “It was neither fun nor relaxing” — both positives turned negative.

Here, “long” is negative, “fun” is positive — so mixing them is odd.

But let’s check online or standard examples — actually, in some contexts, “neither A nor B” can be used when A and B are different types, but it’s rare.

Perhaps the intended answer is both/and, but we already used that in Sentence 2.

Wait — we have seven sentences and seven pairs? Let’s list the pairs again:

Boxes:
1. either/or
2. neither/nor
3. both/and
4. whether/or
5. not only/but also
6. such/that
7. rather/than

Seven pairs, seven sentences — so each pair used once.

We’ve assigned:

1. either/or → Sentence 1
2. both/and → Sentence 2
3. whether/or → Sentence 4
4. not only/but also → Sentence 5
5. such/that → Sentence 6

Left: neither/nor, rather/than

Sentences left: 3 and 7

Sentence 7: “I would _______ be with my cousins _______ with strangers.”

This is clearly a preference: “I would rather be with my cousins than with strangers.”

✔ Perfect for rather/than

So Sentence 7: rather/than

Then Sentence 3 must be neither/nor

Even if it’s a bit awkward, we’ll go with it.

So: “It was neither long nor fun.”

Meaning: It wasn’t long (which might be good) and it wasn’t fun (bad) — overall not liked. Or perhaps in context, “long” is considered a negative attribute, so “neither long nor fun” means it didn’t have the bad quality of being long, but also didn’t have the good quality of being fun — still not enjoyable.

It’s acceptable.

Some might argue it should be “both long and not fun”, but since “not” isn’t an option, and we must use the given pairs, neither/nor is the only one left.

So final assignments:

1. either/or
2. both/and
3. neither/nor
4. whether/or
5. not only/but also
6. such/that
7. rather/than

Let’s write them out:

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Final Answers:

1. Can James come home at either 7:00 p.m. or 8:00 p.m.?

2. She refused to wear the dress as it was both dirty and torn.

3. I did not like the holiday. It was neither long nor fun.

4. I am going to visit my friend whether it rains or not.

5. He not only ditched his homework but also refused to do any in the future.

6. Such is the weather today that one can freeze ice cubes outside.

7. I would rather be with my cousins than with strangers.

All pairs used exactly once. Sentences make sense grammatically and logically.

Final Answer:
1. either, or
2. both, and
3. neither, nor
4. whether, or
5. not only, but also
6. Such, that
7. rather, than