If you want to learn english grammar or grow your vocabulary then these resources will help you with your studies. Jay had seen neither the snake nor the wasp s nest on the next tree, and was preparing to stake his tarp in that lessthansafe location. Either my father or my brothers are going to sell the car. Neither indicates that the two ideas are linked together. Either orneither nor a free english exercise to learn english. In the following sentences do we need both, neither or either. Either and neither are used in negative sentences to mean too. So neither either so so is used to show agreement with positive statements. The word either can be a pronoun or an adjective more specifically, a determiner, which is a kind of adjective. When you learn english, it helps to know little grammar tricks that help you tell the difference between words like these. Note how we use the plural word surfers at the end there to keep everything in agreement. Learn when to use nor instead of or, and how to avoid common mistakes. We will use the standard of underlining subjects once and verbs twice.
We use both, either and neither to refer to two people or things. Her archenemy is the evil grammar maven, who inspires terror in the untrained and is neither friendly nor helpful. Content may be misformatted, offensive or inappropriate in nature. When using either or and neither nor, note the following rules. If you found this grammar guide about the difference between so, neither and either useful, let others know. We can either eat now or after the show its up to you 2. Nor doesnt necessarily have to appear in a sentence with the word neither. Both can be used as a pronoun to refer to two things that we have already mentioned. How negation neither, neither nor and not either not questions questions. Grammar girl wasnt very helpful with these subjectcomplement agreement sentences. When a compound subject contains both a singular and a plural noun or pronoun joined by or or nor, the verb should agree with the part of the subject that is nearer the verb. There is a different convention called the proximity rule.
According to context and to the grammar book you consult, they can be considered as quantifiers, adjectives, pronouns, correlating coordinators or adverbs. Neither of the children wants or want to go to bed. Download english grammar lessons, for free, in the pdf format. Each of the students is responsible for doing his or her work. The proscription against using or, rather than nor, with neither i was neither here or there instead of i was neither here nor there is likewise not absolute, but nor is most common, and in this case i support the restriction. Enten eller is the first published work of the danish philosopher soren kierkegaard. Neither my mother nor my father went to university. He will neither come here nor send a representative. Includes helpful articles, a glossary, quizzes, and a. Try our game to practice the difference between these words at.
Either and neither grammar activities grammar errors grammar games grammar humor grammar police grammar rules english weather poster for teaching learn to speack english easy receive. How to use either, neither, or and nor kaplan blog. Subjectverb agreement grammar rules the blue book of. We often use neither with nor, although this is quite formal. For this child, making a choice is neither appealing nor is it interesting. Some verbs can be either transitive or intransitive, depending on how they are used in the sentence. Doesnt is a contraction of does not and should be used only with a singular subject. Treat a pairing like eitheror or neithernor as singular if the elements are singular, but treat the pairing as plural if one of the elements is plural. Either sue or the girls are going to prepare dinner tonight. Conjunctions allow you to form complex, elegant sentences and avoid the choppiness of multiple short sentences. Learn about the different ways that you can agree with negative sentences in english conversation using. So do i me too neither do i i dont either speaking. To book a lecture event with mignon fogarty for your company or. When elyse grew up, she longed to meet her biological mother, so she contacted the agency that.
From the american copy editors society a tricky agreement problem. But these two can be used in so many different contexts that their meanings can become confusing. He wants to know if either you can be won over or are flexible. Have you ever had difficulties knowing when to use either and neither. To summarize, so is similar to very but a little stronger and too is used to used to describe a negative situation when something is over a limit. So neither the men nor the woman is a good surfer is correct, as is neither the woman nor the men are good surfers. Neither is paired with nor and either is paired with or. Please make sure you subscribe to the free grammar updates here. Eitheror neithernor either or used when referring to a choice between two possibilities. Being able to find the right subject and verb will help you correct errors of subjectverb agreement. Either and neither are singular either and neither are singular concepts. Try our interactive game to practice the difference between these words at.
The blue book of grammar and punctuation an easytouse guide with clear rules, realworld examples. This underscores just how important it is to use the correct word, since failing to do so could drastically change the meaning of a sentence. He said it was a good book for improving my english. Neither nor used in a sentence in the negative sense when you want to say that two or more things are not true. Test your understanding with this grammar exercise. Neither either and neither represent a pair of words frequently used in the english vocabulary. The book i recommend to eld students is grammar girl presents the ultimate writing guide for students.
Despite being just a single letter apart from each other, the two words either vs. However, if one of the things is plural, use a plural verb. Jan 01, 2010 get the grammar girls take on correctly using nor in a sentence. Whether english is your first language or second language, grammar girls punctuation, style. It would be incorrect to use an or anywhere in that sentenceor to leave out either case of nor. Grammar girl xvii introduction xix 1grammar 1 finding subjects and verbs 1.
We use either before the first of two alternatives specified. Those are the main differences between so and too in english grammar. Neither is used to show agreement with negative statements. Either means one or the other of two people or things.
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. The grammar girl podcast has also won best education podcast multiple times in the podcast awards, and mignon is an inductee in the podcasting hall of fame. When used as an adjective either means one or the other of two people or things, and neither means not one or the other of two people or things. This topic is explored more thoroughly in the grammar tip entitled that vs. They do not have a direct object to complete or receive the action. If you had gone to university, you could have got a better job more easily. Get these easy english grammar tips to learn how to use either and neither. To view the following lessons you need to have adobe acrobat reader installed on your computer.
Online lessons are very convenient to learn and excel in grammar rules and become more confident in using the language. Neither is used as a pronoun which means not the one nor the other of two people or things. Either and neither can be used in a few different ways, and to mean a few different things. So do i me too neither do i i dont either speaking activity game for practicing sotooneithereither. We moderate all questions to prevent duplicates, offensive grammar, and laziness. Appearing in two volumes in 1843 under the pseudonymous editorship of victor eremita latin for victorious hermit, it outlines a theory of human existence, marked by the distinction between an essentially hedonistic, aesthetic mode of life and the ethical life, which is predicated. As pronouns the difference between either and whether is that either is obsolete both, each of two people or things while whether is obsolete which of two. So, too, neither and either so do i and neither do i download this explanation in pdf here. The verb changes in the same way as with so do i and neither do i remember you need a negative verb with either.
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 used in a sentence in the affirmative sense when referring to a choice between two possibilities. Although either and neither are both used as a negative too, they follow different rules. 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. See more about so, neither and either as short answers. Using the conditional if english grammar lesson youtube. Mignon fogarty is the founder of the quick and dirty tips network and creator of grammar girl, which has been named one of writers digests 101 best websites for writers multiple times. Try our interactive game to practice the difference between both, either and neither. He either keeps the keys himself or leaves them with his wife. Well, many experts point out that the comma before a too or either can give it extra emphasis, setting it off from the pack and letting it stand alone. When one of the words is used to modify the single subject of a sentence, it takes. Grammar girl presents the ultimate writing guide for students.
The problem is that both, either and neither and in particular both have different functions. English grammar today a reference to written and spoken english grammar and usage cambridge dictionary. In addition, they are also used wrongly quite often, so everything becomes even more unclear. Neither my sisters nor my mother is going to sell the house. So neither either differences and use english grammar rules. Two singular subjects connected by eitheror or neithernor require a singular. Neither caroline nor marguerite worked for ec during the world cup. While either has a positive connotation, neither holds a negative significance. A child who looks at you, the person offering the cupcakes, wants neither a tasty or colorful cupcake. In english grammar, words that refer to people, places or.
Inspire a love of reading with prime book box for kids. Neither can appear at the beginning of a sentence as. Describes a noun or pronounfor example, a tall girl, an interesting book, a big house. Grammar knowledge is among essentials in learning a language. When or or nor joins two things, use a singular verb if both things are singular. Either is also used as a pronoun to indicate one or the other of two people or things. Be careful not to use neither with another negative e.
Get the grammar girls take on correctly using nor in a sentence. If you found this english grammar about both either neither interesting or useful, let others know about it. Even native speakers will sometimes get things like this confused. A lot of people get confused while framing such sentences because the verbs take different forms depending on the. You cannot mix them, but often the word either is omitted. Jay had seen neither the snake nor the wasps nest on the next tree, and was. Simply paste or write your text below and click check my writing to get feedback on your writing. That introduces essential clauses and which introduces nonessential clauses. But they can also be conjunctions correlative, adjectives, determiners, and even adverbs. By skipping the comma, you deemphasize the too by integrating it into the sentence.
In contextobsoletelangen terms the difference between either and whether is that either is obsolete both, each of two people or things while whether is obsolete. Neithernor when two subjects are joined by neithernor or eitheror, choosing the right. But if you use neither, then make sure your sentence does not have any other negatives preceding it. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Should you put a comma before too, either, or also. Clear explanations of natural written and spoken english. It is used in positive structure but the meaning is negative. Apr 27, 20 in this lesson, rachna tells you about the four conditional sentences using if. Make sure that the phrases joined by conjunctions are parallel share the same structure. If youre looking for a guideline, use the comma when. What is the difference between neither and either, and how.
Neither side of the brain is dominant over the other. If you already have adobe acrobat reader, simply click on the red icon next to the topic for the grammar lesson you wish to view. When the subject of the sentence is composed of two or more nouns or pronouns connected by and, use a plural verb. The quick answer the pairing neithernor plays a negative role, so take care to avoid an unintended double negative. If both elements are singular, then the verb is singular too. If you prefer to use a negative, then you want to use either. In english grammar in use intermediate, unit 88, it is said that after neither of a singular or plural verb is possible. This english grammar video shows you how you can talk about your preferences and say how something is. Written by bob wilson robert clifford mcnair wilson 2008. Either and neither, singular or plural the editors blog. This book is wrote by mignon fogarty grammar girl is what she called herself. The english words either and neither can cause some problems for native and nonnative speakers of english.
So, too, neither and either perfect english grammar. Grammar lessons either or and neither nor my english pages. English learn english grammar, english verbs, english idioms. It is similar to using too at the end of a sentence. John didnt come to the party and peter didnt either. Choosing between good and well for example, much and many, may or must. Home page for english grammar today on cambridge dictionary. Both, so do i, neither do i all our lessons and exercises. Subject verb agreement nova southeastern university. Either english grammar today a reference to written and spoken english grammar and usage cambridge dictionary. This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Oct 29, 2012 you may be asking whether there are any rules guiding when to use the word that and when to use the word which. A singular subject she, bill, car takes a singular verb is, goes, shines, whereas a plural subject takes a plural verb.