Whether you are using either or neither, you can only frame two alternativeselements. He will neither come here nor send a representative. He either keeps the keys himself or leaves them with his wife. Both emma and megan went to the party both of usthem went to the party. Both this and that either this or that neither not this and not that.
We use them to talk about possible choices between two people or things when used as a determiner, either and neither must come before a singular countable noun. Neithernor is used when the choice is negative or the person wants to say that more than one thing is not true. Select the response from the list that best completes the sentence. Two singular nouns connected by or or nor take a singular verb neither charles nor benjamin was present there neither he nor his dad is good at driving when one of the nouns connected by or or nor is plural, the verb must be plural, and the plural subject must be placed next to the verb. She has neither eaten anything nor slept in two days. It is possible to find examples in print or on the web where these words are comparing many alternatives, but this should be avoided whenever possible. My grandpa neither likes nor cares about the technology. Grammarians differ on this point, but theres a long history of both either or and neither nor being used for three or more items. To connect negative ideas adding an agreeing thought, we use the words either and neither. Although not a major grammatical error, the grouping of more than two things is frowned upon by followers of some style conventions. For example, you can play tennis on the tennis court or watch birds on.
If youre writing for a particularly formal publication, though, you might want to stick to just two items when youre using either or or neither nor. Either means both, one and neither means not either, none. We can go to either greece or spain for our holiday. This is because it is an example of a double negative, which, though standard in some other languages such as spanish and found in many dialects of english, is not. Neither, neither nor and not either english grammar. English grammar tips with gymglish, online english lessons. Kathy, some people do say me either when they mean me neither. Both michael and sarah got their christmas presents. I used to like playing bothfootball andbasketball when i was young. But if you use neither, then make sure your sentence does not have any other negatives preceding it.
Neither indicates that the two ideas are linked together. Neither my mother nor my father went to university. Yet if you use either in place of neither in such a case and without another negative word, youre omitting the negative part of your reply. If you prefer to use a negative, then you want to use either. Neither nor used in a sentence in the negative sense when you want to say that two or more things are not true. Eitheror neithernor either or used when referring to a choice between two possibilities. The verb after so or neither changes depending on the tense of the verb in the first sentence.
Using either or vs neither nor in english lessons for. This is because it is an example of a double negative, which, though standard in some other languages such as spanish and. Neither nor is used when the choice is negative or the person wants to say that more than one thing is not true. Written by bob wilson robert clifford mcnair wilson 2008. If you found this english grammar about both either neither interesting or useful, let others know about it. If you want to lose weight, you should both do exercises and go on a diet. Well then, neither peter nor john will be able to come. Neithernor when two subjects are joined by neithernor or eitheror, choosing the right.
Either, neither or both exercise a fill the gaps with both, either, either. Using both and, either or, neither nor english study here. Either jacy or myra will help you with your children. Father and mother are singular so the verb has is singular too. Neither does mary nor does mary mary doesnt eat meat either. Eitheror and neither nor are correlative conjunctions. We can either eat now or after the show its up to you 2. The verb agrees with the noun that is closer to it. Either is used in negative constructions, while neither is used in affirmative constructions. Neither the first book nor the second book was very good. Complete the sentence with or, nor, eitheror, neithernor or verb agreement. Neither the school nor the parents want to take responsibility for the problem. To convey the negative, use me neither responses that would mean something similar all. These conjunctions connect two balanced clauses, phrases, or words.
Either or used in a sentence in the affirmative sense when referring to a choice between two possibilities. May 27, 2011 on the other hand, the word neither is used before a singular noun when there is no article. When neither is used in a sentence, a singular verb is used as well as a singular noun. Correlative conjunctions are pairs such as neither. Connect these sentences using the conjunction in parenthesis. In english, there are words that link positive or negative phrases or ideas with the meaning this is also true. I use so do i to say that a positive sentence is also true for me, and i use neither do i to say that a negative sentence is also true for me. I will neither call you nor send you a message before midday. So, too, neither and either so do i and neither do i download this explanation in pdf here. English lesson how to use both, either and neither.
Exercise on both, either, neither, nor and so english. Neither my friends nor my relatives could help me when we were in the hospital. Jay had seen neither the snake nor the wasps nest on the next tree, and was. Use either when you talk about two things or people. Neither or nor the use of neither with another negative, as in. S either excludes we could go either to the beach or to the mountains s neither for nothing i like neither heavy metal nor techno music. Neither makes a negative statement about two people or things. Although, these words have the same meaning, they are used in different positions in a sentence and link either positive or negative statements. See more about so, neither and either as short answers.
Using either or in english either refers to any one of the two things or people. On the other hand, the word neither is used before a singular noun when there is no article. Either either has the same meaning as too but its used in negative sentences not either at the end of a sentence. Either is always considered singular in a sentence. Neither or nor the use of neither with another negative, as in i dont like him neither hes not much good at reading neither is recorded from the 16th century onwards, but is not considered standard english.
In all examples below, a and b are the same parts of speech. This structure, neither nor, is used to connect the same kind of word or phrase in the sentence. Neither sarah nor peter was to blame for the mistake. The quantifiers either and neither are a kind of determiner. The two elements that correlative conjunctions connect are usually similar in length and grammatical structure. Home page for english grammar today on cambridge dictionary.
Understanding grammar is key to understanding a language. From what i can tell, this is more common in ame than in bre. Eitheror and neithernor beware double negatives the pairings eitheror and neithernor can be used to group two people or things. Either and neither, singular or plural the editors blog. We use either or for connect things which are the same types, phrases, clauses or words. In my examples above, i use do because the first sentence is in the present simple tense. Either the father or the mother has to attend the meeting. From the american copy editors society a tricky agreement problem. Neithernor when they are used together, they negate both parts of the statement. Try our interactive game to practice the difference between both, either and neither. So, too, neither and either perfect english grammar. Neither the blue one nor the red is available in size 4. Two singular nouns connected by or or nor take a singular verb neither charles nor benjamin was present there neither he nor his dad is good at driving when one of the nouns connected by or or nor is plural, the verb must be plural, and the plural subject must be placed next to the verb neither peter nor his parents were aware of this.
He neither attends the class regularly nor learns his lessons. Compare your responses to the feedback by clicking the check or check 110 button. Neither, neither nor and not either english grammar today uma referencia a gramatica e uso do ingles escrito e falado cambridge dictionary. Either and neither download this explanation in pdf here. Here are some rules to remember when using both, neither or either.