Both, either, neither Flashcards
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. Note that we use both + plural noun and either/neither + singular noun.
I like ___ cars.
I like both cars.
You can park on ___ side of the street.
You can park on either side of the street.
___ parent was at the meeting.
Neither parent was at the meeting.
Both (of) / either of / neither of
We can use both (of) / either of / neither of + the/these/my/her/Peter’s/etc. + noun
___ (___) your parents are really nice
Both (of) your parents are really nice
___ ___those two dates is perfect for the wedding. (=We can choose one or the other)
Either of those two dates is perfect for the wedding. (=We can choose one or the other)
___ ___ the tennis players had a great game.
Neither of the tennis players had a great game.
Note that we don’t need ___ after both.
Note that we don’t need of after both.
___ ___ your parents are really nice. = ___ your parents are really nice.
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
___ ___ them did very well in the exam.
Both of them did very well in the exam.
Can ___ ___ ___ give me a coin for the vending machine?
Can either of you give me a coin for the vending machine?
___ ___ us knows the truth.
Neither of us knows the truth.
Both / either / neither (without a noun)
Both / either / neither (without a noun)
A: Do you speak French or Spanish? B: I speak ___.
A: Do you speak French or Spanish? B: I speak both.
A: Do you want tea or coffee? B: ___.I don’t mind.
A: Do you want tea or coffee? B: Either. I don’t mind.
A: Which car do you prefer? B: ___. I think both of them are horrible.
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 ___ the rice ___ the meat.
She ate both the rice and the meat.
___ Susan ___ Peter helped me with my report.
Both Susan and Peter helped me with my report.
You need to speak one foreign language, ___ Spanish ___ French.
You need to speak one foreign language, either Spanish or French.
You can ___ wait here ___ go home.
You can either wait here or go home.
I like ___ maths ___ physics.
I like neither maths nor physics.
He ___ called ___ texted.
He neither called nor texted.
Remember this!
Use either and neither with a singular verb.
___ candidate is good.
Either candidate is good.
___ ___ the candidates is good.
Neither of the candidates is good.
not) ___= ___
not) either= neither.
I don’t like ___ ___ the options. = I like ___ ___ the options.
I don’t like either of the options. = I like neither of the options.
The word ___ is negative, so we use it with positive verbs.
The word neither is negative, so we use it with positive verbs.
Neither John nor Paula ___ come (can)
Neither John nor Paula can come
We also use the word ___ with positive verbs. We can only use ___ with negative verbs
We also use the word both with positive verbs. We can only use either with negative verbs
I ___ ___ either of the pictures (no like)
I didn’t like either of the pictures
