Gotcha. Do you have an example? I can't think of one, but it must happen often enough in your life for it to be annoying.
It happens all the bloody time, that's why I find it so annoying???? And it's even more annoying when they say 'both A and B', but then add ' and C'. I can't think of one either, but when I come across one - and I will!! - I'll pass it on.
I was watching a documentary on tv last night about the new Firth of Fourth road bridge. The commentator was comparing it to the iconic original rail bridge, and the difference in the tensile of the steel used in their construction ‘So that makes the new bridge both stronger and slender and more aesthetic.’
If brackets were implied around "stronger and slender," it would arguably be okay. Like "Spinach makes me both 'lean and mean' and healthy."
When you know your teenage kids are glued to their phones 24/7 with WiFi plugged into their arteries, but when you text them, you don't hear back for a day, especially when you've replied to their text within one nanosecond.
Both is a pronoun and conjunction. "Both Jack and Jill have the same make of car and are blue", would be classed as incorrect. "Jack and Jill have the same make of car, both cars are blue", would be classed as correct.
I do believe that the photograph is Fabian. I do believe you typed the above. We'll leave it at that.
Well in that example the former sentence is not only incorrect, it's grammatically bizarre, and nobody whose first language is English would say it; and in the second one the use of 'both' is, as you rightly assert, totally legitimate. But as it happens, one of my Alerts I've just read contains the perfect example of 'both' being not only unnecessary, but superfluous also, and is wrongly used because it is followed by more than two elements. Here's a C&P of the salient sentence: 'He points out succinctly both the ludicrous and dangerous result of controlling speech, opinions and discussion.' If that doesn't exemplify the incorrect use of the word 'both' I don't know what does.
I thought of another one last night but I forget what it was now! I'll get back to you . . . watch this space.
Foiled again, Moriarty? Actually English was the only subject I was good at in school - and I mean the only thing. And even then I left without a single qualification to my name. All the masters were gglad to see the back of me, especially the headmaster. He reckoned I was giving his school a bad reputation for learning standards!
