EITHER AND NEITHER

 

Either/or and neither/nor

1.Either / or - used in a sentence in the affirmative sense when referring to a choice between two possibilities

We can either eat now or after the show - it's up to you.

2. Neither / nor - used in a sentence in the negative sense when you want to say that two or more things are not true

Neither my mother nor my father went to university.

Singular or plural

When using either/or and neither/nor, note the following rules:

1. If both elements are singular, then the verb is singular too.

§  Either the father or the mother has to attend the meeting. (The nouns 'father' and 'mother' are singular; so the verb 'has' is singular too)

§  Neither Leila nor Nancy is going to write the report. ('Leila' and 'Nancy' are singular; so the verb ' is' is singular too)

2. However, if one of the elements is plural, then use a plural verb.

§  Either Sue or the girls are going to prepare dinner tonight. (The noun 'girls' is plural; so the verb 'are' is plural too)

§  Neither the teacher nor the students were in the classroom this morning. (The noun 'students' is plural; so the verb 'were' is plural too)

How to Use Either, Neither, Or, and Nor Correctly

My mother seems to appreciate having a grammar lover in the family. For Christmas one year, she even bought me the book I Judge You When You Use Poor Grammar. (By the way, it is equally correct to say “bad grammar.”)

 

Last week, my mother emailed to ask if she was using the word “nor” correctly, which brings me to today’s post: the use of either, neither, and the connecting words that go with them.

 

Either/Or, Neither/Nor

Either is always paired with or, and neither is always paired with nor.

If you are matching either and nor, I hate to break it to you, but you’re doing it wrong.

Additionally, nor is generally not used where neither is not also used. Got enough negatives in there for you?

 

Here’s an example:

“I fear man nor beast!” Jay proclaimed as Frank stared at the python coiled on the branch over his head. (Wrong.)

“I fear neither man nor beast!” Jay proclaimed as Frank stared at the python coiled on the branch over his head. (Right!)

 

Correct Use of Either

Either is used when you are making a comparison between two ideas, and only one of the ideas will come to pass. Example:

“Well,” said Frank, “either you start fearing, or you are camping by yourself.”

 

Correct Use of Neither

Neither indicates that the two ideas are linked together. It’s kind of like a negative conjunction. But if you use neither, then make sure your sentence does not have any other negatives preceding it. If you prefer to use a negative, then you want to use either.

 

·        Jay had seen neither the snake nor the wasp’s nest on the next tree, and was preparing to stake his tarp in that less-than-safe location.

·        Jay had not seen either the snake or the wasp’s nest on the next tree, and was preparing to stake his tarp in that less-than-safe location.

 

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