You may be curious about the usage and punctuation of “Not one but two” when you encounter it in a sentence.
The solutions to all these inquiries are located beneath.
You need a comma after it if it appears at the end of an independent clause that is linked with another independent clause by a conjunction. However, you typically do not need a comma with the phrase “not one but two.”
“Not one but two” without commas.
The vast majority of the time, you would not use the word “phrase” because it is usually an essential part of a sentence, without two commas but only one.
Nevertheless, you might be curious as to why you would employ this expression in the initial instance.
Why utilize the expression “not a single one but two”?
Why can’t you say the sentence in ‘two’ at all? However, if you look at the sentences that contain the phrase “two but one not,” your questions might be why the words are.
The reason is that the phrase “not one” adds emphasis.
Here are a few instances:
High-performance vehicles are quite costly, therefore the initial statement highlights the fact that the speaker is a lavish spender.
In the second sentence, the expression highlights the lack of integrity of the individual who requested someone to deceive.
“Not just one but two” as a crucial expression
In the majority of instances, “not one but two” functions as a crucial expression within the sentence.
This implies that if you eliminated it from the sentence, the significance would alter or the sentence would become nonsensical.
Please be aware that the phrase may appear in different locations within a sentence, but it does not necessitate the use of commas wherever it is located.
They possess not one but two residences on the shoreline.
I instructed her to bring me a doughnut. Upon her arrival, she had not just one but two doughnuts.
“Not just one but rather two” with a coordinating conjunction and an independent clause
When two independent clauses are joined with a conjunction, a comma is placed at the end of the first independent clause.
Following that, a comma is necessary if it is succeeded by a conjunction and another separate clause. The phrase “Not one but two” can be placed at the conclusion of a sentence, as previously demonstrated.
I bought both of them, and they came with not just one but two power cords, which were unfortunately out of stock, so I couldn’t have expected that.
Tropical hurricanes are common in this region. In the preceding month, we encountered not just one but two, therefore we are moving towards the inland areas.
“Not just one but two” as an unnecessary expression
Occasionally, “not one but two” appears in a sentence as a nonessential phrase. When it does, it is elaborating on a noun.
Similar to any important phrase, it should be separated from the rest of the sentence by commas.
When utilized in this manner instead of as a crucial expression, it accentuates the noun even more intensely.
She possessed firearms, not just one but two, so we understood she was serious.
They possess mansions, not just one but two, so they must be affluent.
While writing sentences of these types, you can use commas to note that dashes are commonly seen more often with set phrases.
You would utilize dashes rather than commas when you desired to amplify the emphasis.
If you want to even step up the emphasis more, you could add “one” after a comma to indicate a pause, using dashes to set off the phrase from the rest of the sentence.
Different Ways to Say “Not One but Two”
It is worth noting that you will often see variations of this phrase, such as “not just one but two” or “not one but several.”
Generally, all of these should be punctuated in the same manner as “not one but two” is.
They have not just one but multiple concepts that I believe would be beneficial.
Commonly asked questions about the punctuation of the expression “not one but two”
Is there a comma after “but” in the phrase “not one, but two”?
There is no comma required after “but” in the expression “not one but two.”.