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Hello, all! A quick question about paired conjunctions for you grammar mavens out there. Does this sentence sound correct?

Not only the car was stolen but also the bicycle.

I know that usually not only is followed by an aux. verb, as in the following:

Not only was the car stolen, but also the bicycle.

The first example (which sounds acceptable, to my ear) uses a passive structure; it certainly doesn't work if you use not only ... but also with an active voice.

*Not only the thief stole the car, but also the bicycle.
or
*Not only she likes turtles, but also iguanas.

Does anyone agree/disagree that the following are correct?

Not only the car was stolen but also the bicycle.
or
Not only the donuts were eaten but also the cheescake.

Thank you so much for any words of wisdom!

Echidna

Echidna wrote:
Does anyone agree/disagree that the following are correct?

Not only the car was stolen but also the bicycle.
or
Not only the donuts were eaten but also the cheescake.

Thank you so much for any words of wisdom!

Echidna

I was *about* to say the first example was "wrong" but then I stressed the word "car" and it sounded just fine.

My first inclination was for Not only was the car stolen, but also the bicycle, noting also that I seemed to have emphasized car there as well, as opposed to Not only was the car stolen, but it was also vandalized. where "stolen" was emphasized and I hijacked your "but also."

So for me, the sentences sound okay as long as the first noun is stressed.

Does anyone agree/disagree that the following are correct?

Not only the car was stolen but also the bicycle.
or
Not only the donuts were eaten but also the cheescake.

Thank you so much for any words of wisdom!

Echidna

Not only was the bicycle stolen, the car was too.

Not only was the bicycle stolen, the car was too.

Not only was the bicycle stolen but so was the car.

There is a technical term for this kind of construction, where the two halves don't match.

It's clumsy but common enough not to be considered grammatical. I'll try and see if I can find the technical term.

Incompletely-parallel co-ordination/conjuction.

The feature has also been dubbed FLoP (Friends in Low Places) from its appearance in the following a Garth Brooks song:

I've got friends in low places,
where the whiskey drowns and the beer chases
my blues away.