B1

Both, Either, and Neither

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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

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

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Question 1 of 8

1. I like _____ pizza ____ spaghetti.

Question 1 of 8

Question 2 of 8

2. _______ the USA _____ Canada are in Europe.

Question 2 of 8

Question 3 of 8

3. I don’t like ________ of the stores.

Question 3 of 8

Question 4 of 8

4. Let’s go to _______ on Wednesday ____ Friday.

Question 4 of 8

Question 5 of 8

5. We can take a flight at _____ 1 pm ____ 3 pm.

Question 5 of 8

Question 6 of 8

6. They were at ________ of the parks. I am not sure where they are.

Question 6 of 8

Question 7 of 8

7. You can have _______ chocolate ice cream ____ vanilla ice cream. You can’t have both.

Question 7 of 8

Question 8 of 8

8. I can’t find _______ of my shoes.

Question 8 of 8


 

References[+]

Passive Voice

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There are two main ways to speak in English, active voice and passive voice.[1]https://www.ef.com/wwen/english-resources/english-grammar/passive-voice/

How do you construct the passive voice?

passive voice

What is the active voice?

In the active voice, the subject performs the action.

For example: Bob ate ice cream.

What is the passive voice?

In the passive voice, the action is performed on the subject.

For example: The ice cream was eaten by Bob.

When do you use the passive voice?

In most cases, it is best to use the active voice. This is especially true when the subject of your sentences is the one performing the actions.

However, in certain cases, it is actually better to use the passive voice. Usually, you want to use the passive voice in certain legal, professional, or formal settings such as:

Emphasize the action over the one doing the action

Example: The witness was sworn in before they were allowed to testify.

In this case, it is not that important to know who the person that is swearing in the witness. Rather, the process of swearing them in is more important as we need to know that they are telling the truth.

Scientific Writing

Example: The specimens were placed under the microscope.

In this case, we understand a scientist is placing the specimens under the microscope to study; however, the passive structure emphasizes the importance of the experiment over the scientist.

Reporting crimes when you don’t know who committed it

Example: My house was broken into.

In this case, we don’t know who the criminals were. If we did, we probably would not be as worried as we could catch them. In addition, the passive structure emphasizes the crime that was committed over the actual criminals that committed it.

Please go to Passive Voice to view this quiz

References[+]