だけではなく〜も Japanese Grammar Lesson
Grammar Type: Phrase
Essential Meaning: Not only X, but also Y
Construction:
- (Verb / い-Adjective) informal + だけで(は)なく
- E.g. 話すだけではなく [X not only speaks, but also…]
- E.g. 話しただけではなく [X not only spoke, but also…]
- な-Adjective stem + [な / だった] + だけで(は)なく
- E.g. 静かなだけではなく [X is not only quiet, but also…]
- E.g. 静かだっただけではなく [X was not only quiet, but also…]
- Noun + [X / だった] + だけで(は)なく
- E.g. 先生だけではなく [X is not only a teacher, but also…]
- E.g. 先生だっただけではなく [X was not only a teacher, but also…]
Notes:
- XだけではなくYも means “Not only X, but also Y“. X and Y are typically the same part of speech (i.e. both are nouns, both are verbs, or both are adjectives) but this is just a tendency and not a rule. ばかり can typically replace だけ in this structure, but だけ generally comes across as a more rigid limitation.
- E.g. With verbs:
- E.g. あの人は小説を読むだけではなく書きます。 [That person not only reads novels, but he also writes them.]
- E.g. With adjectives:
- E.g. このアパートは高いだけでなくたいへん狭いです。[This apartment is not only expensive, but it’s also very small.]
- E.g. With nouns:
- E.g. 日本人だけではなくアメリカ人もよく働きます。[Not only Japanese but also Americans work very hard.]
- In the structure Noun1 だけでなく Noun2 も, Noun 1 and Noun 2 should share the same particle for the sake of grammatical parallelism. However, Noun 1’s particle may optionally drop.
- E.g. 手紙が友達(から)だけではなく先生からも来ました。[The letters came not only from friends but also from teachers.]
- E.g. With verbs:
- The は in だけで(は)なく may be optionally dropped.
- E.g. ジョンだけでなくメアリーも来た。[Not only John came, but also Mary.]
- も in だけではなく ~ (も) is also optional. Sentences with も are more emphatic (i.e. not only X, but ALSO Y).
- E.g. あの人は頭がいいだけではなくよく勉強します。 [That person is not only smart, but also studies hard.]
Example Sentences:
あの人はよく勉強するだけではなくよく遊ぶ。[That person not only studies a lot, but also plays a lot.]
あの人は頭がいいだけではなくよく勉強します。 [That person is not only smart, but also studies hard.]
このうちはきれいなだけではなくとても安いです。[The house is not only beautiful but it is also inexpensive.]
ジョンだけでなくメアリーも来た。[Not only John came, but also Mary.]
WILD Examples:
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