Select the most appropriate option that can substitute the highlighted word(s) in the given sentence.
The fleets of Anthony were not merely defeated, also destroyed by Augustus Caesar.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
The correct answer is option 1 i.e. not only defeated, but also destroyed.
Error concept: Incorrect correlative conjunction usage.
What is wrong: The phrase “not merely defeated, also destroyed” is grammatically incorrect because it lacks the proper correlative conjunction to connect two related ideas.
Grammatical concept: When connecting two actions or qualities, the correct correlative pair is “not only … but also …”.
Incorrectness of the concept in context: Using merely … also is incorrect in formal English and does not properly link the two verbs.
How to correct: Replace merely … also with not only … but also.
Correct phrase/ correction: not only defeated, but also destroyed
Final sentence: The fleets of Anthony were not only defeated, but also destroyed by Augustus Caesar.
Hence, the chosen option is correct.