Basic Details
Word: Correlative
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: So closely connected that one goes with or depends on the other; in grammar, correlative words are used in pairs.
Synonyms: corresponding, related, reciprocal, parallel
Antonyms: unrelated, independent
How to Spell Correlative
Syllables: cor - rel - a - tive
Tricky part: It has a double r, because cor- joins relative. The ending is -ative, as in relative.
Watch out for: corralative, correlitive, corrolative
Memory tip: Correlative is cor + relative. Relative keeps all its letters, and the r of cor sits next to the r of relative.
Usage Examples
Example 1: On a see-saw, the two ends move in a correlative way: one rises only when the other falls.
Example 2: Either and or are correlative conjunctions.
Example 3: Use the correlative pair neither ... nor in your next sentence.
Fun Fact
Statisticians use the related word correlation when two things tend to change together, such as height and shoe size; a correlation does not prove that one causes the other.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Makeup
Only one of these words takes the prefix cor- to form a real word. Choose it:
cor
a) negative
b) positive
c) native
d) relative
Show answer
d) relative. Cor + relative gives correlative; the other three cannot take cor- at all.
Spell-o-Spell
Three of these words are spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word:
1. antithesis 2. correlitive 3. analogous 4. reciprocal
a) similar in some ways
b) the exact opposite
c) given and received in return
d) going together as a matching pair
Show answer
d) going together as a matching pair. Correlative ends in -ative, exactly like relative, so the -itive spelling is the misspelt one.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word correlative as used in the sentence:
Rights and responsibilities are correlative: each citizen enjoys one and owes the other.
a) connected
b) optional
c) unequal
d) opposite
Show answer
a) connected. The sentence says the two always go together, which means they are connected.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which noun, also with a double r, names a link between two things that change together?
a) corruption
b) correction
c) corrosion
d) correlation
Show answer
d) correlation
2. In 'Not only did he sing, but he also danced', the correlative pair is ____.
a) sing ... danced
b) did ... sing
c) he ... he
d) not only ... but also
Show answer
d) not only ... but also
