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

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

 13%

Question 1 of 8

1. I can’t find _______ of my shoes.

Question 1 of 8

Question 2 of 8

2. I like _____ pizza ____ spaghetti.

Question 2 of 8

Question 3 of 8

3. _______ the USA _____ Canada are in Europe.

Question 3 of 8

Question 4 of 8

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

Question 4 of 8

Question 5 of 8

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

Question 5 of 8

Question 6 of 8

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

Question 6 of 8

Question 7 of 8

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

Question 7 of 8

Question 8 of 8

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

Question 8 of 8