didn't only vs not only

[stephenlearner]

1. The war didn't only cause destruction and death but also led to generations of hatred between the two communities.

2. The war not only caused destruction and death but also led to generations of hatred between the two communities.

The first sentence has a helping verb did, while the second doesn't. What is the difference between these two sentences?

Thanks.

 

[Toby Sherman]

The verb in the first sentence is the emphatic past form "did cause", which has the same meaning as the simple past form "caused". It would be grammatical, but very unnatural, to reword the first sentence as "The war not only did cause destruction and death, but also let to generations of hatred between the two communities."

 

[Joetofu]

The first sentence has a helping verb did, while the second doesn't. What is the difference between these two sentences?

Not to be cheeky, but you’ve already pointed out the grammatical difference between them. Are you asking if there’s a difference in meaning?