divakergarg wrote:
Can any one please explain how and when to use "due not only to X but also to Y"?
Is the usage correct on GMAT?
Dear
divakergarg,
I'm happy to respond.
The short answer is: yes, that structure is 100% correct and certainly could appear on the GMAT.
Here's the longer answer.
1) It's good to understand the diction of the words "
due to." The GMAT loves to test the difference between "due to" and "because of," a difference routinely botched in colloquial American English. See:
GMAT Idioms: Cause and Consequence2) The "
not only ... but also" parallel structure is also on of the GMAT's favorites. You can learn all the important idioms on the GMAT using the free
Magoosh Idiom Flashcards.
3) The idiom "
not only ... but also" is an example of a pair of correlative conjunctions---others include "
both ... and," "
either ... or," etc. If we put two prepositional phrases in parallel using one of these structures, there's the extremely tricky issue of whether we should repeat the preposition and, if so, where.
in both X and in Y =
wrongboth in X and in Y =
right both in X and Y =
wrongin both X and Y =
rightAll of this is governed by a rule I call
the Once Outside, Twice Inside rule.
4) Finally, and this is the trickest part--- we can nest any grammatical structure inside any other grammatical structure. While we can make a list of the grammatical forms and idioms, the combinations of them are virtually limitless. See:
Nested Grammatical Structures on the GMAT Sentence CorrectionHow does one achieve mastery on the GMAT SC, given all this? Well, for start, see this blog article:
How to Improve Your GMAT Verbal ScoreI hope all this helps, my friend. Let me know if you have any questions.
Mike