Either, Neither and Both: Rules, Examples and Exercises

Either, neither and both: quick meanings

Compare these three sentences:

Both restaurants are good.

This means restaurant A and restaurant B are good.

Either restaurant is fine.

This means you can choose restaurant A or restaurant B.

Neither restaurant is open.

This means restaurant A is not open and restaurant B is not open.

A useful way to remember them is:

both = 2

either = 1 of 2

neither = 0 of 2

Both of, either of and neither of

Use both of, either of and neither of before pronouns or certain noun phrases.

Both of

Use both of when referring to the two together.

Both of them are correct.

Both of my sisters live abroad.

I’ve spoken to both of the managers.

With a plural noun, both can often be used without of:

Both students passed.

Both the students passed.

Both of the students passed.

All three are possible, although the most natural choice depends on context.

Either of

Use either of when you mean one of two possibilities.

Either of these answers is acceptable.

You can invite either of them.

Either of the routes will take about an hour.

Traditionally, either of + plural noun/pronoun takes a singular verb:

Either of them is fine.

In informal English, plural agreement is sometimes heard:

Either of them are fine.

For careful written English, especially in grammar exercises and formal writing, the singular is safer.

Neither of

Use neither of when both options are negative.

Neither of them is available.

Neither of my parents speaks French.

Neither of the answers is correct.

Again, singular agreement is traditionally preferred in careful writing:

Neither of the students was late.

Plural agreement is common in informal speech, but less formal.

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Either or and neither nor

Either...or

Use either...or to present two alternatives.

You can either call me or send me a message.

We can go either on Friday or on Saturday.

Either James or Maria will help you.

The two parts should normally be grammatically parallel.

Better:

You can either call me or email me.

Less balanced:

You can either call me or sending an email.

Keep the same grammatical form after each part.

Neither...nor

Use neither...nor when both alternatives are negative.

Neither James nor Maria is coming.

She neither called nor emailed.

The hotel was neither clean nor comfortable.

Do not add another negative unnecessarily.

Incorrect:

Neither James nor Maria isn’t coming.

Correct:

Neither James nor Maria is coming.

The negative meaning is already contained in neither...nor.

Subject-verb agreement

Subject-verb agreement becomes more difficult with either...or and neither...nor.

With both

Both refers to two people or things, so use a plural verb.

Both students are ready.

Both my brothers live abroad.

Not:

Both students is ready.

With either of and neither of

In formal English, use a singular verb:

Either of these options is possible.

Neither of the answers is correct.

This is because the meaning is based on each individual member of the pair.

With either...or and neither...nor

When both subjects are singular:

Either John or Maria is coming.

Neither the teacher nor the student was prepared.

When both are plural:

Either the managers or the employees are responsible.

Neither the students nor the teachers were informed.

When one subject is singular and the other plural, the verb often agrees with the nearest subject:

Either the manager or the employees are responsible.

Either the employees or the manager is responsible.

This is sometimes called the proximity rule.

If a sentence sounds awkward, rewriting it is often better:

The manager or the employees are responsible.

or:

Responsibility lies with either the manager or the employees.

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Short responses with so and neither

We can use so and neither in short responses to show agreement.

Positive agreement with so

A: I like coffee.
B: So do I.

A: She can swim.
B: So can he.

A: I’m tired.
B: So am I.

The auxiliary changes depending on the original sentence.

Negative agreement with neither

A: I don’t eat meat.
B: Neither do I.

A: She can’t drive.
B: Neither can he.

A: I’m not hungry.
B: Neither am I.

You may also hear nor in formal or literary English:

Nor do I.

But neither is more common in everyday speech.

Be careful not to confuse this use of neither with neither of or neither...nor.

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Common mistakes

Using both with a singular noun

Incorrect:

Both student passed.

Correct:

Both students passed.

Both requires a plural noun.

Saying either both

Incorrect:

You can choose either both options.

Correct:

You can choose either option.

or:

You can choose both options.

The meanings are different.

Using neither with another negative

Incorrect:

Neither answer isn’t correct.

Correct:

Neither answer is correct.

Confusing either and neither

Compare:

I don’t like either option.

This means I dislike both options.

Neither option is good.

This also means both are negative.

Notice that either often appears after a negative verb:

I don’t want either one.

While neither already has negative meaning:

I want neither one.

The second form is grammatically correct but more formal.

Forgetting of before pronouns

Incorrect:

Both them are ready.

Correct:

Both of them are ready.

Incorrect:

Neither us knew.

Correct:

Neither of us knew.

Using or after neither

Incorrect:

Neither Tom or Sarah came.

Correct:

Neither Tom nor Sarah came.

Remember the pairs:

either...or

neither...nor

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Exercises and answers

Exercise 1: Choose both, either or neither

1. __________ of my parents speak Spanish.
2. You can take __________ bus. They both go to the station.
3. __________ answer is correct, so you need to try again.
4. __________ students completed the task successfully.
5. I don’t like __________ of these jackets.
6. __________ of the two restaurants is open today.
7. __________ my brother and my sister live abroad.
8. You can sit on __________ side of the table.

Exercise 2: Complete with either...or or neither...nor

1. You can __________ call me __________ send me an email.
2. __________ John __________ Maria knows the answer.
3. We can go __________ on Friday __________ on Saturday.
4. The room was __________ clean __________ comfortable.
5. __________ the manager __________ the employees were available.
6. She speaks __________ French __________ German.

Exercise 3: Choose the correct verb

1. Both of my friends is / are coming.
2. Neither of the answers is / are correct.
3. Either of these routes takes / take about an hour.
4. Neither the teacher nor the students was / were ready.
5. Either the students or the teacher is / are responsible.
6. Both options seems / seem reasonable.

Exercise 4: Complete the short response

1. A: I love travelling.
   B: So __________ I.
2. A: I can’t swim very well.
   B: Neither __________ I.
3. A: I’m tired.
   B: So __________ I.
4. A: I don’t watch much television.
   B: Neither __________ I.

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Answers and explanations

Exercise 1

1. Both of my parents speak Spanish.
2. You can take either bus.
3. Neither answer is correct.
4. Both students completed the task successfully.
5. I don’t like either of these jackets.
6. Neither of the two restaurants is open today.
7. Both my brother and my sister live abroad.
8. You can sit on either side of the table.

Exercise 2

1. You can either call me or send me an email.
2. Neither John nor Maria knows the answer.
3. We can go either on Friday or on Saturday.
4. The room was neither clean nor comfortable.
5. Neither the manager nor the employees were available.
6. She speaks neither French nor German.

Exercise 3

1. are — both takes a plural verb.
2. is — singular agreement is preferred with neither of.
3. takes — singular agreement is preferred with either of.
4. were — the nearest subject, students, is plural.
5. is — the nearest subject, teacher, is singular.
6. seem — both options is plural.

Exercise 4

1. So do I.
2. Neither can I.
3. So am I.
4. Neither do I.

The easiest way to remember either, neither and both is to think about quantity: both means two, either means one of two, and neither means zero of two. Then learn the common structures both of, either of, neither of, either...or and neither...nor, paying particular attention to subject-verb agreement.

Related grammar lessons

• Past Simple Tense: Rules and Exercises
• Modal Verbs in English
• Gerunds and Infinitives: Rules and Exercises