Both, Either, and Neither

You can use both, either, and neither to talk about two things or people.^[1]https://www.grammar.cl/english/both-either-neither.htm

Both

Both is used to talk about two things. You can use it with both nouns and adjectives.

Both this and that

For example:

• I like both ice cream and pizza.
• She is both pretty and tall.
• They have both a car and a motorcycle.

Both (of) + Determiner + Plural Noun

You can also use determiners (such as possessive adjectives) with “both”.

For example:

• Both of my sisters are older than me.
• Both of the schools have be rivals for a long time.
• Both of the kids have been friends for a long time.

Both of + Object Pronoun

You can also use object pronouns (such as us) with “both”.

For example:

• They invited both of us to the party.

Verb + Object Pronoun + Both

For example:

• I hope that the university accepts us both.

Either

The word “either” is used to talk about one of two things.

Either this and that

For example:

• You can have either a chocolate cake or ice cream.
• Either John or Sam is going to pick us up.
• You can choose either a car or a motorcycle.

Neither

Neither is used to talk about not this thing and not the other thing. This is the negative form of “both”.

Neither this nor that

For example:

• I want neither cake nor ice cream.
• Neither Sam nor Jake helped us.
• I neither sing nor dance.

Neither + Singular Noun

For example:

• Neither school participated in the competition.
• Neither team had an advantage.

Neither of + Pronoun

For example:

• Neither of us want to swim.
• Neither of them wanted to help.

Neither vs. Either

You can replace “neither” with “either” if you change the positive verb in the “neither” phrase with a negative verb.

For example:

• I have neither friends nor family.
• I don’t have either friends or family.

Example Exercises