Shared relations refer to a structure in which one word (such as a verb, preposition, or modifier) applies to multiple coordinated elements. Because some elements connected by and / or / but are omitted, misunderstanding the connections can distort the meaning.
Basic Rules
Typical patterns of shared relations:
① Shared verb: “He studies law in the morning and (studies) economics in the afternoon.” ← studies is omitted and shared
② Shared subject: “She wrote the report, edited it, and submitted it before the deadline.” ← She is shared by the three verbs
③ Shared preposition or auxiliary verb: “The results can be explained by genetic factors or (can be explained by) environmental factors.”
④ Shared modifier (adjective or adverb): “The company's rapid growth and (rapid) expansion surprised investors.” ← rapid may modify both or only growth (determined by context)
The key to recognizing a shared relation is to confirm that the elements before and after and/or/but are grammatically parallel, and to read by restoring the omitted parts. What has been omitted can be inferred from the same kind of phrase that appeared immediately before.
Success depends not on talent alone but on persistent effort. (Success depends not only on talent but also on persistent effort.) ← Shared relation in not A but B; depends on is shared by both
The policy aims to reduce carbon emissions and (to) promote renewable energy. (The policy aims to reduce carbon emissions and promote renewable energy.) ← aims to is shared by both infinitives
Economic growth can result from technological innovation or from increased consumer spending. (Economic growth can result from technological innovation or increased consumer spending.) ← result from is shared by both
The study examined how children learn language and how they later use it in social contexts. (The study examined how children learn language and how they later use it in social contexts.) ← examined is shared by both how-clauses
Points to Note
① not A but B / not only A but also B are typical forms of shared relations. Confirm that A and B are grammatically parallel elements (noun and noun, verb phrase and verb phrase, etc.). If their parts of speech or forms are not parallel, the interpretation is likely to be wrong.
② When restoring omitted words, look for a phrase of the “same form” that appeared immediately before. If a preposition is omitted, restore the preceding preposition; if an auxiliary verb is omitted, restore the preceding auxiliary verb.
③ In a long sentence, it can be misleading to assume too easily that the elements before and after and are equivalent. You must grammatically confirm whether and connects “noun and noun” or “sentence and sentence.”
④ When translating, the shared part only needs to be translated once in Japanese. Repeating the shared part exactly as it appears in English produces unnatural Japanese, so organize the translation with the shared element in mind.
- Shared relation = a structure in which one word is shared by multiple coordinated elements
- not A but B / not only A but also B are typical patterns
- Grammatically confirm whether the elements before and after and are parallel in part of speech and form
- Restore omitted words from the same kind of phrase immediately before
- When translating, translate the shared part only once to create natural Japanese
Practice
- Restore the omitted word in the following sentence: He is interested not in the results but in the process.
- Explain the shared relation in the following sentence: The theory explains how memory forms and how it can be disrupted.
- Translate “The method saves both time and effort” into English using a shared relation (saves 〜 and 〜).