The English words either and neither can cause some problems for native and non-native speakers of English. Sometimes you can use either one and sometimes you have to choose either one or the other, but neither one is very difficult. While ‘either’ has a positive connotation, ‘neither’ holds a negative significance. You will always find them paired up this way: either/or and neither/nor.
Either… Or
Either... or is used to offer a choice between two possibilities:
- Either Mike or Lisa will be there.
- Either you leave me alone or I will call the police.
Either can also be followed by some or all of the following: one + of + group of two:
- Either one of us could do it.
- Either one of you should know.
Neither… Nor
Neither… nor is equivalent to not… either… or.
- Neither Mike nor Lisa will be there.
- He speaks neither English nor French.
- We brought neither coffee nor tea.
Neither can also be followed by some or all of the following: one + of + group of two:
- Neither one of us has any money.
- Neither one of them is ready.
The Bottom Line
Either means one and goes with or, neither means none and goes with nor. “Not either” equals neither.
Reference:
Lawless, Laura K. 2019. Either and Neither. Retrieved from: https://www.lawlessenglish.com/english-mistakes/either-and-neither/
Compiled and written by @nurulhasanahmoslem for @EnglishTips4U on Saturday, May 18, 2019
