Breakdown of Новая детская площадка радует не только детей, но и жителей района.
ребёнок
child
новый
new
район
district, area
детский
children's
Questions & Answers about Новая детская площадка радует не только детей, но и жителей района.
How strict is the placement of не только and но и in this sentence?
Very strict. These correlative conjunctions must sit directly in front of the parallel items they connect. Here they connect two objects, so we place them right before детей and жителей. If you put не только before the verb радует, you would logically need another verb after но и.
Can I use а также instead of но и to mean 'but also'?
No, because the first half не только specifically pairs with но и. Together, they act as a fixed, unbreakable set for 'not only... but also'. You would use а также (as well as) when listing things without не только.
Why are детей and жителей in the genitive case if they are the direct objects being pleased?
They are actually in the accusative case! Because children and residents are animate nouns, their accusative plural forms perfectly match their genitive plural forms. The verb радовать (to please/make happy) requires its direct object to be in the accusative.
Why do we need the adjective детская for 'playground'?
In Russian, the noun площадка by itself just means a designated flat area, platform, or court (like a sports court or even a staircase landing). To specify a playground for kids, you must always say детская площадка.