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24-Both, Either, Neither - Quantifiers

This document discusses the use of the quantifiers "both", "either", and "neither" in English. It explains that "both" refers to two things or people, "either" refers to one or the other of two things or people, and "neither" refers to not one or the other of two things or people. It provides examples of using these quantifiers with nouns, pronouns like "of us", and alone. It also discusses using "both...and...", "either...or...", and "neither...nor..." to specify the two things or people. Finally, it provides tips on using singular or plural verbs with "either" and "neither" and only using "

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76 views

24-Both, Either, Neither - Quantifiers

This document discusses the use of the quantifiers "both", "either", and "neither" in English. It explains that "both" refers to two things or people, "either" refers to one or the other of two things or people, and "neither" refers to not one or the other of two things or people. It provides examples of using these quantifiers with nouns, pronouns like "of us", and alone. It also discusses using "both...and...", "either...or...", and "neither...nor..." to specify the two things or people. Finally, it provides tips on using singular or plural verbs with "either" and "neither" and only using "

Uploaded by

takinardi
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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both,
Grammar either,
» B1 Grammarneither – grammar
lessons and exercises » both, either,chart
neither – quantifiers
 

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We use both, either and neither to talk about two things or people.

both= A and B (the two things or people)

either= A or B (one thing/person or the other thing/person)

neither= not A and not B (zero out of two things or people)

both / either / neither + noun


 
We can use both/either/neither + noun

• I like both cars. 


• You can park on either side of the street. 
• Neither parent was at the meeting. 

Note that we use both + plural noun and either/neither + singular noun.
 

both (of) / either of / neither of


 
We can use both (of) / either of / neither of + the/these/my/her/Peter’s/etc. + noun

• Both (of) your parents are really nice. 


• Either of those two dates is perfect for the wedding. (=We can choose one or the other)
• Neither of the tennis players had a great game. 

Note that we don’t need of after both.

• Both of your parents are really nice. = Both your parents are really nice.

We can use both of / either of / neither of + us/you/them

• Both of them did very well in the exam. (NOT Both them)
• Can either of you give me a coin for the vending machine? 

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• Neither of us knows the truth.

both / either / neither (without a noun)


 
We can use both/either/neither alone, without a noun.

• A: Do you speak French or Spanish? B: I speak both. 


• A: Do you want tea or coffee? B: Either. I don’t mind.
• A: Which car do you prefer? B: Neither. I think both of them are horrible. 

both … and …/ either … or … / neither … nor …


 
We can say both … and …/ either … or … / neither … nor … to mention the two things or people that we are talking about.

• She ate both the rice and the meat.


• Both Susan and Peter helped me with my report. 
• You need to speak one foreign language, either Spanish or French. 
• You can either wait here or go home. 
• I like neither maths nor physics. 
• He neither called nor texted.  

Remember this!
 
Use either and neither a singular verb.

• Either candidate is good. 


• Neither of the candidates is good. 

(not) either= neither.

• I don’t like either of the options. = I like neither of the options.

The word neither is negative, so we use it with positive verbs.

• Neither John nor Paula can come. (NOT Neither … can’t come.)

We also use the word both with positive verbs. We can only use either with negative verbs.

• I didn’t like either of the pictures. (NOT I didn’t like both/neither of the pictures.)

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