Correlative conjunctions are pairs of words that work together to connect two equal sentence parts in a way that shows the. Neither his cat nor his dogs share the same food bowl. Either or neither nor either or used when referring to a choice between two possibilities. Neither the french nor the germans are happy about this. Neither my mother nor my father went to university.
Use either when you talk about two things or people. So neither either differences and use english grammar rules. May 30, 2017 we use either before the first of two alternatives specified. Try our interactive game to practice the difference between these words at. So do i and neither do i 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. Remember that we are talking about the verb and not the meaning of the message. Instead of choosing one of them, you can use the word neither to show that you do not want one or the other. We use too for affirmative sentences and either for negative sentences. Sometimes you can use either one and sometimes you have to choose either one or the other, but neither one is very difficult. Either or english grammar today cambridge dictionary. Either can be paired with or, and neither can be paired with nor.
Both john and fred dont like doing the dishes i want neither. Most of all i am interested in interrogative sentences. But if the sentence is interpreted that way then it only has a minor punctuation issue, while the use of neither and nor is actually correct. Either jacy or myra will help you with your children. For all those instances when either and neither behave like pronouns, the structure of the sentence would be. 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. Both john and fred dont like doing the dishes i want neither the red shirt nor the blue shirt.
Eitheror, neithernor and bothand by shmoop youtube. Father and mother are singular so the verb has is singular too. We use either or neither when adding a comment of agreement. Conjunctions are normally not very easy for students. Although i found that in spoken english, it can sound a little odd to use neither nor in some cases blade on november 22, 2017 7. Have you had difficulty using eitherneither and ornor. If a verb comes after this phrase, that verb is in the singular form sometimes you will hear it used in the plural form though it is not grammatically correct neither john nor fred likes doing the dishes. If both elements are singular, then the verb is singular too. When using either or and neither nor, note the following rules. From the american copy editors society a tricky agreement problem.
Neither does david david doesnt either david neither. We can either eat now or after the show its up to you 2. Neither must be preceded by a positive statement as we never use two negative forms in the same sentence. The word neither is used when there are two choices but none of the two choices are available. Fill in the blanks with so, nor, neither, but, too, or either. This video covers how to use eitheror, neithernor, and bothand. How to use either, neither, nor and or kaplan blog. Either the father or the mother has to attend the meeting. Either and neither, singular or plural the editors blog. May be freely copied for personal or classroom use.
I cant help reading this book, and he ca nt either. He either keeps the keys himself or leaves them with his wife. After looking at various sources, the author of the post concludes with. Neither his cat nor his dogs shares the same food bowl. John can sing will and his brother can sing well too neither.
So here is an online exercise where students have to link sentences and choose the correct paired conjunctions. Read more about using a singular or plural verb with eitheror and neithernor. Sep, 2014 this video covers how to use either or, neither nor, and both and. Select the response from the list that best completes the sentence. 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. Grammarians differ on this point, but theres a long history of both either or and neither nor being used for three or more items. The auxiliary needs to agree with the verb tense in the original statement. So, too, neither and either perfect english grammar. For example, neither the man nor the woman is a good surfer is nice and balanced. But they can also be conjunctions correlative, adjectives, determiners, and even adverbs. Either or english grammar today a reference to written and spoken english grammar and usage cambridge dictionary.
A clause with a negative verb but a positive meaning still has negative polarity. An interactive grammar test on using either or and neither nor with a plural or singular verb. Complete the sentence with or, nor, eitheror, neithernor or verb agreement. How do these word pairs change the meaning of a sentence. Lets look at how to use these words in english correctly. Neither alice nor peter wants to come to the party. Either my dog or your cats like to eat porridge every day and either your cats or my dog likes to eat porridge every day negative sentences. It is generally accepted or at least suggested that neither should be paired with nor and either with or. Either or used in a sentence in the affirmative sense when referring to a choice between two possibilities. When either word is used as a pronoun and as the subject of a sentence or clauseand its the only subjectit takes a singular verb. Well, said frank, either you start fearing, or you are camping by. It is quite harsh to mark this as wrong, but grouping three things is an unpopular practice. I will remember that neither or will be found in spoken english, whereas the correct form remains neithernor.
Jan 01, 2010 it would be incorrect to use an or anywhere in that sentenceor to leave out either case of nor. First of all, either and neither can be used in various ways. Neither sarah nor peter was to blame for the mistake. If you found this grammar guide about the difference between so, neither and either useful, let others know. What is the correct way to use neither and nor in a. Neither nor is used when the choice is negative or the person wants to say that more than one thing is not true. Unlike with rule 4, singular nouns remain singular even with the use of eitheror nor. When they act as pronouns either means one or the other while neither indicates not one or the other both these roads go to rome. The words or and nor is nearly always a conjunction, except in technical use the nor logical gate. Neither the forwards nor the scrumhalf, all of whom were within 10 metres of the tackle, nor the crowd appealed for a foul.
Either orneither nor a free english exercise to learn english. Neithernor is used when the choice is negative or the person wants to say that more than one thing is not true. Janes bag wasnt where she had left it, so nor neither but too either was it anywhere else in the house. When one of the words is used to modify the single subject of a sentence, it takes. While either has a positive connotation, neither holds a negative significance. So do i and neither do i i use so do i to say that a positive sentence is also true for me, and i use neither.
The first thing to resolve is the issue of pronunciation, either and neither can be pronouns two ways and they are both equally correct. Each entry starts with a simple explanation and basic examples before moving to reallife, entertaining examples. Informally, in british english, a plural verb is sometimes used when a singular verb is logically correct. So, too, neither and either so do i and neither do i download this explanation in pdf here. Always use neither with nor to ensure you sound pompous. For example, they can be used as adverbs, determiners, pronouns. We use either before the first of two alternatives specified.
On the other hand, either and neither can function like a determiner neither answer was correct, a pronoun there were two answers, but neither was correct or a special type of conjunction used with nor neither dog nor cat is. Buy our book smashing grammar 2019 written by the founder of grammar monster, smashing grammar includes a glossary of grammar essentials from apostrophes to zeugma and a chapter on easily confused words from affecteffect to whetherif. With bothand, and neithernor, both subjects do or feel the same way about something. The english words either and neither can cause some problems for native and nonnative speakers of english. 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. As an example, the sentence neither coffee nor tea is available is correct while the sentence nor coffee neither tea is available is incorrect. It would be incorrect to use an or anywhere in that sentenceor to leave out either case of nor. I dislike that punctuation and i would either use a semicolon or make it two sentences. I cannot find the tool, it is neither in the kitchen nor in the bathroom. The word neither is used with an affirmative positive verb e.
Neither, neither nor and not either english grammar. Neither of you isare correct if we are speaking of two groups, then a plural verb is correct. Jay proclaimed as frank stared at the python coiled on the branch over his head. Either is used when you are making a comparison between two ideas, and only one of the ideas will come to pass. Neither can appear at the beginning of a sentence as well as the middle. Neither, neither nor and not either english grammar today uma referencia a gramatica e uso do ingles escrito e falado cambridge dictionary. We can use neither on its own in replies when referring to two things that have already. Either means one or the other of two people or things. Test your understanding with this grammar exercise. Neither nor used in a sentence in the negative sense when you want to say that two or more things are not true. The forms bothand, neithernor, and eitheror are used to introduce two subjects.
Neithernor when two subjects are joined by neithernor or eitheror, choosing the right. Compare your responses to the feedback by clicking the check or check 110 button. Whether you are using either or neither, you can only frame two alternativeselements. He will neither come here nor send a representative. So whats the difference between either and neither. The english words either vs neither can cause some problems for native and nonnative speakers of english.