1. Overview: What Does “Both… and…” Mean?

The phrase “both… and…” connects two elements, suggesting that both parts are important, relevant, or true in the context. It’s a way to highlight that two separate ideas, qualities, actions, or things are being considered together.

For example:

• “She is both talented and hardworking.”
  • This means she is talented and she is hardworking.

2. How to Use “Both… and…”

Let’s break down the basic structure and then look at some examples.

Structure:

• “Both” + [first element] + “and” + [second element]

You can use it to link:

• Nouns: “The dessert is both sweet and creamy.”
• Adjectives: “He’s both smart and kind.”
• Verbs: “She both sings and dances in the show.”
• Phrases: “They enjoy both going out to eat and cooking at home.”

3. Examples for Clarity

Let’s see a variety of examples to understand how “both… and…” works in different sentences:

Using with Nouns

• “Both cats and dogs make great pets.”
  • This means cats and dogs are both being considered as great pets.

Using with Adjectives

• “The book is both interesting and informative.”
  • This emphasizes that the book is not only interesting but also informative.

Using with Verbs

• “She both studied hard and took extra classes to pass the exam.”
  • This shows that studying hard and taking extra classes were both actions she did to pass the exam.

4. Practice Time!

Try completing these sentences with the correct words to see “both… and…” in action:

1. He is both __________ and __________. (Choose two adjectives like “funny” and “caring”)
2. They enjoy both __________ and __________. (Use two activities like “swimming” and “hiking”)
3. The meal was both __________ and __________. (Think of two qualities like “delicious” and “affordable”)

Answers:

1. He is both funny and caring.
2. They enjoy both swimming and hiking.
3. The meal was both delicious and affordable.