Usage of Not only - but also

[divuu.verma]

Not only does obesity lead to increased rates of Type 2 diabetes, but a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine also found that the heaviest kids were nearly twice as likely as the thinnest to die before age 55.

Not Only must be use with But also.

But I see a different usuage in the above statement (Today's NewYork Times).

Can anyone please confirm if this statement is correct?

[messi10]

Hi,

I don't think New York Times will always follow grammar down to the absolute rules. It is a news publication, the point is to get the reader to understand the article, not worry about smaller nuances of the language.

In most of the sentences that I have seen on GMAT Sentence Correction, the idiom "not only x but also y" is maintained in the correct answer.

Regards

Sunil

[tim]

Yeah, remember that the GMAT has its own grammar rules and occasionally they conflict with what you'll find elsewhere. Also, note that the example you provided DOES have a "but also"; it's just that the words are separated by some additional information..