The last one didnt get either my changes or thiagos. For example, you might say, i like neither hot dogs nor mustard. We show you the rules, the exceptions, and example sentences to clarify the concept. If either is used with a negative verb, its meaning is the same as neither. Correct each of the boy and girl was in straight line. Either, neither or both exercise a fill the gaps with both, either, either. Heres a discussion of the words and the opinions about their appropriate use. Neither the students nor the instructor wantwants to miss class. Neither my dad nor my mom wears fashionable clothes. Be careful with sentences that have either or and neither nor. Subjects joined by or or nor when two or more subject are joined by or or nor, the verb should agree with the subject part closest to the verb. The most common correlative conjunctions are eitheror, neithernor, not onlybut also, asso, and notbut. He either keeps the keys himself or leaves them with his wife. Nor, and transitional devices instructions for the teacher this exercise is a supplement to the exercises of in charge 2, unit 2, pages 17 through 20.
Neither the serving bowl nor the plates go on that shelf. Whether you are using either or neither, you can only frame two alternativeselements. Students pose a question to a partner to elicit a response that will allow them to use a particular phrase such as so do i. Either julia or her friends isare planning to attend. So, too, neither and either perfect english grammar.
For instance, the word girls is plural, so it needs a plural pronoun like they or them or their. When using either or and neither nor, note the following rules. Everyone can be a great writer grammarly allows me to get those communications out and feel confident that im putting my best foot forward. Incorrect each of the boy and girl were in straight line. Use neither in a sentence neither sentence examples. Fill in the blanks with so, nor, neither, but, too, or either. Describes a noun or pronounfor example, a tall girl, an interesting book, a big house. Either or used in a sentence in the affirmative sense when referring to a choice between two possibilities. So, too, neither and either so do i and neither do i download this explanation in pdf here. Both and can be used to mean this thing and that thing. When one of the words is used to modify the single subject of a sentence, it takes. 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. A conjunction and a coordinating conjunction differ in that a conjunction joins grammatically alike subclausal elements, whereas a coordinating conjunction joins grammatically alike clausal elements.
Note how we use the plural word surfers at the end there to keep everything in agreement. If two or more singular subjects are connected by or, nor, either or, neither. In english grammar, words that refer to people, places or. This page includes examples of correlative conjunctions and an interactive exercise. Grammar girl wasnt very helpful with these subjectcomplement agreement sentences.
On the other hand, the word girl is singular, so it clearly needs a singular pronoun like she or her. Both john and fred dont like doing the dishes i want neither the red shirt nor the blue shirt. Neither is paired with nor as either is with or, and in those uses as conjunctions they pose usage problems of agreement. It is usually used with no article, though some is sometimes used before it. The women, as well as the men singsings beautifully. Jan 01, 2010 so neither the men nor the woman is a good surfer is correct, as is neither the woman nor the men are good surfers. Confusing grammar neither nor, eitheror, etc person of verb.
In spoken language, the plural form of the verb is more usual. While either has a positive connotation, neither holds a negative significance. However, if one of the things is plural, use a plural verb. The last one got neither of my nor thiagos changes. 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. Either orneither nor a free english exercise to learn english. For example, if i is one of two or more subjects, it could lead to this.
Screenscriber, as a general rule, either goes with or and neither goes with nor. They say the place where you are born is not a choice, nor is the family into which you are born. Grammar lessons either or and neither nor my english pages. See more about so, neither and either as short answers. He neither attends the class regularly nor learns his lessons. Subjectverb agreement grammar rules the blue book of. It would be incorrect to use an or anywhere in that sentenceor to leave out either case of nor. Neither sarah nor peter was to blame for the mistake. However, if one of the elements is plural, then use a plural verb. Neither in general nor in detail do i agree with you. Grammarians differ on this point, but theres a long history of both either or and neither nor being used for three or more items.
He neither ate the cake himself nor allowed others to eat it. Im not very good in grammar but this really confuses me. If you found this english grammar about both either neither interesting or useful, let others know about it. Two singular subjects connected by eitheror or neithernor require a singular. How to use either, neither, nor and or kaplan blog. 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. If you already know how to use these words, you can skip the explanation and go directly to the exercises. 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. What is the difference between neither and either, and how. Try our interactive game to practice the difference between both, either and neither. So do i me too neither do i i dont either speaking. Either or neither english grammar guide grammatica inglese.
To book a lecture event with mignon fogarty for your company or. The verb in an or, either or, or neither nor sentence agrees with the noun or pronoun closest to it. 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. Each entry starts with a simple explanation and basic examples before moving to reallife, entertaining examples. Two or more singular subjects connected by or, nor, either or, neither. Although not a major grammatical error, the grouping of more than two things is frowned upon by followers of some style conventions. But if you use neither, then make sure your sentence does not have any other negatives preceding it. Neither my sisters nor my mother is going to sell the house. Usually they will take a singular verb if both parts of the structure are singular, as in neither he nor his friend is ready, and if the first element is plural but the second element remains singular, the structure may still take a singular verb, as in neither my friends. They never take any chances, andbut nor do they trust anybody, i must say. The following is a minitutorial on the use of the words also, too and either. Eitheror and neithernor beware double negatives the pairings eitheror and neithernor can be used to group two people or things.
Either or can be used to mean this thing or that thing. Either is usually placed at the end of the sentence in these cases. Eitheror neithernor either or used when referring to a choice between two possibilities. Lewis part of speech noun naming words forms that can function as nouns.
Jay had seen neither the snake nor the wasps nest on the next tree, and was. As above, but using either to make it clearer what the or is joining. Both of the carpenters isare planning to do the job. Additions and responses so, too, neither, not either, yesno questions. Confusing grammar neithernor, eitheror, etc person of. From grammar and spelling to style and tone, grammarly helps you eliminate errors and find the perfect words to express yourself. 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.
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. In the first example, neither molly nor john is the. Plural subjects cows or oxen are grazing in the field. Janes bag wasnt where she had left it, so nor neither but too either was it anywhere else in the house. Neithernor is used when the choice is negative or the person wants to say that more than one thing is not true. But for the negative case, i would use and neither. Rules to solve spot the error english questions part 1. Even if it sounds antiquated or outofplace to you here, nor is a perfectly normal word in modern english, spoken as well as written. Use of either and neither, and their associated words or and nor, is complicated by disagreements about proper usage. 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. Home page for english grammar today on cambridge dictionary. They never take any chances, andbut nor do they trust anybody, i.
Enten eller is the first published work of the danish philosopher soren kierkegaard. Nor doesnt necessarily have to appear in a sentence with the word neither. Neither nor can be used to mean not this thing, and not that thing. Ask them to list any sleep disorders they are aware of, such as snoring, narcolepsy the disorder. She has neither eaten anything nor slept in two days. Either and neither can be used in a few different ways, and to mean a few different things. They say the place where you are born is not a choice, and neither is the family into which you are born. Doesnt is a contraction of does not and should be used only with a singular subject. Neither is used with nor to indicate two or more people, things, actions, etc.
So neither the men nor the woman is a good surfer is correct, as is neither the woman nor the men are good surfers. This is a free beginner english grammar quiz and esl worksheet. Either sue or the girls are going to prepare dinner tonight. Check your spelling past simple or present perfect although in spite of despite again back for and its use. Neither indicates that the two ideas are linked together. Neithernor when two subjects are joined by neithernor or eitheror, choosing the right. The last one didnt get either of my or thiagos changes. Neither is used as a determiner before a single noun. Learn english with lets talk free english lessons 474,020 views 12. Neither of the twin brothers took their books would be correct if the books were jointly owned, but it requires some context to make this clear.
If both elements are singular, then the verb is singular too. How to use nor correctly grammar girl quick and dirty tips. For example, incorrect neither he nor i were there. When the subjects joined by ornor are of different numbers, the verb must be plural, and the plural subject must be placed next to. Here are two explanations of using eitheror and neithernor taken form different sources. 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. From the american copy editors society a tricky agreement problem. Either and neither, singular or plural the editors blog.
If a sentence has two subjects connected by ornor, eitheror, or neithernor, the verb must. When two plural subjects are joined by or, neither nor, eitheror the subject is plural. After you have studied the tutorial, complete the associated exercises. When or or nor joins two things, use a singular verb if both things are singular. English grammar guide neither nor can be used to mean not this thing, and not that thing. 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 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. Whether english is your first language or second language, grammar girls punctuation, style. But they can also be conjunctions correlative, adjectives, determiners, and even adverbs. Neither my mother nor my father went to university. Both, so do i, neither do i all our lessons and exercises. He will neither come here nor send a representative. We can either eat now or after the show its up to you 2. The words or and nor is nearly always a conjunction, except in technical use the nor logical gate. Neither the plates nor the serving bowl goes on that shelf. Neither nor used in a sentence in the negative sense when you want to say that two or more things are not true. It doesnt matter which of the two coats you choose 2. Her archenemy is the evil grammar maven, who inspires terror in the untrained and is neither friendly nor helpful. So, neither, nor, either english grammar step by step.
Neither nor used when referring to the fact that two. In most cases, it is clear whether a pronouns antecedent is singular or plural. Subject verb agreement exercises with rules for advanced students. Correlative conjunctions are used in pairs to link equivalent elements e.
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