Grammar Mishaps: Neither-Nor vs. Either-Or
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What is the difference between "neither-nor" and "either-or"?
"Either" and "Or"
"Either" is also a singular adjective. It means one or the other, but not both. "Either" expresses one noun/pronoun doing one thing and the other noun/pronoun doing another; in this way it is a "positive" word because what is occurring is true. "Either" can be paired with "or", but not "nor".
- She wanted to paint either a landscape or a self-portrait. (She wanted to paint one or the other, but not both.)
- I can't remember if either Georgia or Julia wanted a doll for Christmas. (One of the girls wanted a doll, but not both.)
"Neither" and "Nor"
"Neither" is a singular adjective and can be paired with "nor" in a sentence. "Neither" is never paired with "or". When using "neither" in a sentence, you are saying not the first object and not the second object are behaving in a certain way. The nouns/pronouns are in agreement with one another. "Nor" can also be used independently when negating the second part of two negative clauses.
- Neither Corie nor Bob went to the play. (Corie isn't going to the play. Bob isn't going to the play.)
- She said, "I don't like broccoli." I said, "Neither do I." [Neither is used here because she doesn't like broccoli, and I don't like broccoli. (You may hear people say,"Me neither," this is colloquial and not grammatically correct. You wouldn't say, "Me don't like broccoli.")]
- She didn't want to sing, nor did she want to dance.
The Singular and Plural of It...
Remember: If your element (the words that follow neither or either) is singular, then your verb needs to be singular; if one or both of your elements is plural, then your verb need to be plural.
- Neither Jaymee nor Dave is having a party. (Jaymee and Dave are singular, so you use the singular "is", not "were".
- Either the dancer or the acrobats are doing the tricks. (One of the subjects is plural, so "are" instead of "is" is used.
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The question remains....
What is the answer to the above question: “Peter has not gone to school today, _______ has he done his homework”?
First, we know that it is not "either" or "or" because Peter is not doing both actions. Another way to look at this sentence is to think of it worded like this: Peter has neither gone to school today, nor has he done his homework. So, the correct answer would be "nor". We also know that "nor" can be used independently when negating the second part of two independent clauses.
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Thoughts, Comments or Questions?
Hi Robin,
Thanks so much.. Things are pretty clear to me now
Hi Robin,
Thanks for tackling "neither -- nor" I do like that construction as it is so clear. The reader knows that if there is a neither, then a nor is following -- and, as you wrote, not the first object and not the second object.
I would like to rewrite your qestion sentence as you did: Peter has neither gone to school today, nor has he done his homework. What I now realize is so interesting is that the subject/verb order is reversed after the "neither." I wonder why. I don't think it has to do with tense.
By the way, one of your examples is a run-on sentence: I can't remember, either Georgia or Julia wanted a doll for Christmas. What do you think of this construction? I can't remember if either Georgia or Julia wanted a doll for Christmas. Or, just omit the "I can't remember," as it is implied by what follows. Or Either Georgia or Julia wanted a doll for Christmas; I don't remember. I have forgotten if either Georgia or Julia wants a doll for Christmas.
Thanks for the comment, George. I actually changed that sentence and it didn't update when I clicked save. This happens to me all of the time. I don't know if it's a Mac thing, or if I'm losing connectivity. It's a bit frustrating when I think I fixed something, and it doesn't appear fixed on my hub; especially when I don't notice the mistake until later. I'll have to email Paul about the bug. Robin
I'm glad it helped, Dhruvin!
I had some doubts about this one. Thanks for straightening me out. Great hub, as usual!
Thanks, wajay_47! I'm glad it helped. ;)
>>I don't know if it's a Mac thing, or if I'm losing connectivity.
Sorry, there seems to be a bug in the comments! I was trying to say that I have the same problem with a PC running IE. It's not a Mac thing -- it's a bug. I think the odd glitch we have in Hubpages will disappear as time goes on.
I think so too. Paul says they are working really hard to fix all of the bugs. I know that part of my problem is a connectivity thing. We have DSL and we just quit and are getting cable. It's funny how impatient I can be with my Internet connection. I can't imagine using dial-up! Thanks for letting me know you were having a problem too. I'll tell Paul. If you have the time, you can email him whenever you see a bug in the system. He really likes to know. ;)
How about this construction?
Neither of the girls was present.
Neither of the girls were present.
Both sound right to me.
Your second example is correct, "Neither of the girls were present." You are speaking of more than one girl, so you need the plural "to be" form: were. Thanks for the comment, Holly!
thanks for revisions
Hello,
Could you tell me which one of the following sounds more correct, please.
This matter does not have any impact either on ... or on ...
This matter does have neither impact on ... nor on ...
Thank you. Gabi
...or the following might be even better:
This matter does neither have an impact on ...nor on...
...what do you think?
Hi Gabi,
I would phrase the sentence:Â This matter does not have any impact on ... or ....
I don't think that there is any need for the words "neither" or "either". Hope that helps!
thank you for article
I've always been confused about using the word "either" to describe objects surrounding another object. As an example, I'll hear something to the effect of, "My speakers are on either side of my monitor." This has always sounded silly to me, and seems incorrect according to your definition above (one or the other, but not both).
What's the correct way to say this?
And thanks for all the other great tips! I really enjoyed them!
What should one do if there is a list of three items to which a certain situation does not apply? Can one get around it by separating the third item in the list by commas?
Say, for instance, "Neither the government, nor the civil cervice, nor even the prime minister, advocates this policy." ?
Thanks for a very useful hub!
Monica
I just want to know why you wrote: Neither Corie nor Bob went to the play. (Corie isn't going to the play. Bob isn't going to the play.) When the sentences in brackets are in future tense. I am an English teacher from Ecuador. Thanks a lot
I used to confused about on this issue. The only thing I am still confused is verb structure. As you say, one of the plural elements would be enough for being plural verbs. What I've knew is to being a plural verbs depends on the subject/object which close to verb or preceding the verb. Do you mind helping me on this matter? It would be great if you make it clear. Thank you.
OK.... thats what I thought... but I do have a follow up: where you use the example, "She said, 'I don't like broccoli' I said, 'Neither do I.'", could one also say "Nor do I" in response?
I have heard that you can use "Either" or "Neither" in a sentence without being paired. I mean, without using "or" or "nor", but I didn't get to find any explanation about it on the web. You get always to find them paired. Would you post some info and examples by using "Either" or "Neither" alone?Thanks and congratulations for the entry.
I need your help in this sentenece ¨phill didn´t play the game phill didn´t wacth the game ¨What's the correct way to say this?
Your second example is correct, "Neither of the girls were present." You are speaking of more than one girl, so you need the plural "to be" form: were. Thanks for the comment, Holly!
I don't believe your above response is correct. The correct response would be, "Neither of the girls was present." Since girls is the object of the preposition, plurality isn't important. For instance, you wouldn't say, "One of the girls were present."
I agree with Drake. I was actually going to post a similar question; last night at dinner, I asked the two hostesses 'Does either of you like first person shooters?" and was met with ridicule and they promptly "corrected" me to say "Do either of you like first person shooters?"
I find this erroneous. Isn't there an implied 'one' when you use the word 'either' as in "Does either [one] of you like first person shooters?"
Thanks for clarifying!
Thanks for shedding some light on this difficult topic.
My question is:
Neither the boys nor the girl is/are here?
please help me ms.robin. i really find it difficult to cope up in my english subject!!
i nid your response!!thank you
I don't speak English, and English actually is my 2nd language. Thank you so much for clearing this up, much much love. :)
Can you also say Neither I. Or is it neither me? Or neither both?
Thanks.
thanks for this .it really helped i am 15 years old from somlia.
Is this correct?
question: There was no food in the refrigerator. There was also no foofd in the pot.
ans: There was neither food in the refrigerator nor inthe pot.
I don't think that your answer was correct,(tvgc2007)
I think it is better to say : There was no food neither in the refrigeraton nor in the pot.
because you can't say (there is neither food) instead of (there is no food)
I hope I helped...
Bye
I don't think that your answer was correct,(tvgc2007)
I think it is better to say : There was no food neither in the refrigeraton nor in the pot.
because you can't say (there is neither food) instead of (there is no food)
I hope I helped...
Bye
tvgc2007 & Arwa Mo'men: I think you would say either:
"There was no food in either the refrigerator or the pot."
or:
"There was no food in the refrigerator or the pot."
For emphasis, you might say, "There was no food, neither in the refrigerator nor in the pot."
But I am not so keen on this third version.
Please check below mentioned sentence is coerrect. " You didn't give me the confirmation neither by email nor by phone"
I think it should be,
"There was food in neither the refrigerator, nor the pot." since the present tense version would be,
"There is food in either the refrigerator, or the pot." and that makes complete sense without sounding awkward--to me.
"Malcolm says:2 weeks ago
tvgc2007 & Arwa Mo'men: I think you would say either:
"There was no food in either the refrigerator or the pot."
or:
"There was no food in the refrigerator or the pot."
For emphasis, you might say, "There was no food, neither in the refrigerator nor in the pot."
But I am not so keen on this third version."
hi,
please, i need to understand why "either" is choosing here. what is the rules that was used here?
22. "It is not very cold. I don't think we need these big jackets." "I don't think so, ___3__."anywayneithereithertoothanks
can someone sugest writing courses or online tutoring?
that is a great explanation! thank you!
What about this one:
"Either you or I"
- are
- am
??
Sorry Robin, but you were wrong in one of your posts above.
"Neither of the girls was here" is correct because the word neither is referring to one of two girls. "Neither" in this example clearly means "one of two."
If there were more than two girls and zero of them showed up, then "None of the girls were here" would be correct.
If someone said "I don't like broccoli" and someone else commented "Me neither" wouldn't the second person be using a double negative and therefore actually be saying they do like broccoli?
I believe they would be implying that the first person did not like the second person.
"either" and "neither" will always take a singular verb irrespective of the plural word followingit.
e.g:Neither of the girls was present.
"Neither" is the subject here and "girls" does not modify the number of the verb.
eg: Either is fine with me.
Neither of the two fans is working.
Either of us has to discharge the duty.
With regards with the use neither and or, I have made the observation that while discussing two objects under the same verb, use of neither and or together is quite common:
I like neither blueberry or cranberry.
while they would use nor with sentences containing two predicates such as:
John neither washed his shirt nor pressed his pants.
Just wondering if the first sentence has any grammatical grounds or is it just plain wrong. In learning English, I find that there seems to be as many exceptions as there are rules.
thanks robin, keep it up ! you're doing a truly wonderful job !
I refer to your sentence, "Either the dancer or the acrobats are doing the tricks. (One of the subjects is plural, so "are" instead of "is" is used." How about a case where the sentence is, " Either the acrobats or the dancer __ doing the tricks", wouldn't the answer in this instance be "IS"? Kindly confirm. Thank you.
My question was similar to those posed by swordel and DLing.
I found this answer while looking around, but I don't know how accurate it is.
"When subjects are compounded with or or nor, the verb agrees with the subject closest to it.
Blueberries taste good after a spicy meal.
Either blueberries or pineapple tastes good after a spicy meal.
Either pineapple or blueberries taste good after a spicy meal.
Read the last two sentences aloud and listen to the way each verb agrees with the subject closest to it."
This answer seems to agree with the last one:
"If the nouns or pronouns are joined by or or nor (usually preceded by either or neither), the verb depends on the nouns or pronouns themselves. If both are singular, the verb is singular: The guard or his assistant has locked the gate. If both are plural, the verb is plural: Neither the Americans nor the Russians want this policy to succeed. If one is singular and one is plural, the verb agrees with the noun or pronoun closest to it: Either the twins or Bob is going to come round to help you; Neither the time nor the resources are available. If the two pronouns conflict in person, the verb should agree with the second pronoun: Either you or I am likely to be chosen. But this usually sounds awkward, and it is probably better to rewrite the sentence to avoid the choice: Either you or I will probably be chosen."
And how do I use neither...nor when I'm one of the subjects?
Neither john nor I am going to the party?
Thank you! You helped me a lot! This kind of explanations are useful!!!
Is it appropriate to use either/or when we have more than two alternatives?
For example, is it correct to write:
A cake may be purchased either by Mike, Moley, or Joan.
Thanks for your help
Is it appropriate to use either/or when we have more than two alternatives?
For example, is it correct to write:
A cake may be purchased either by Mike, Moley, or Joan.
Thanks for your help
![Bad grammar makes me [sic]](http://z.hubpages.com/u/595850_50.jpg "Bad grammar makes me [sic]")
jamestedmondson says:
3 years ago
I was totally correct, right off the bat. So what if my dad is an english teacher? I mean, he mostly taught the dumb kids, but man can he diagram a sentence!