Either and Neither

Either and neither
Either one might leave, neither one is happy.
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Mixed up English

The English words either and neither can cause some problems for native and non-native speakers of English. Sometimes you can use either one and sometimes you have to choose either one or the other, but neither one is very difficult.

Either… Or

Either... or is used to offer a choice between two possibilities:

Either Mike or Lisa will be there.

Either you leave me alone or I will call the police.

We should bring either coffee or tea.

You can either help us or go to your room.

Either can also be followed by some or all of the following: one + of + group of two:

Either one could do it.
Either one of us could do it.
Either of us could do it

Either one should know.
Either one of you should know.
Either of you should know.

Not… either… or denies both possibilities:

I don’t think either Mike or Lisa will be there.

He doesn’t speak either English or French.

Not… either is used after a negative statement.

I don’t speak French.
You don’t either.

He isn’t ready to go.
We aren’t either.

Neither… Nor

Neither… nor is equivalent to not… either… or.

Neither Mike nor Lisa will be there.

He speaks neither English nor French.

We brought neither coffee nor tea.

I will neither help you nor go to my room.

Neither can also be followed by some or all of the following: one + of + group of two:

Neither one is ready.
Neither one of them is ready.
Neither of them is ready.

Neither one has any money.
Neither one of us has any money.
Neither of us has any money.

Neither is used like not… either.

I don’t speak French.
Neither do I.
(informal): Me neither.

He isn’t ready to go.
Neither are we.

The Bottom Line

Either means one and goes with or, neither means none and goes with nor. "Not either" equals neither.

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Either vs neither

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58 Responses

  1. Steve 26 March 2014 / 16:47

    Thank you for the opportunity to test convention where ‘either’ is concerned. After sending the following sentence in an email, I realized ‘either’ might not have been used correctly. After a bit of an argument, I’ve persuaded myself that it is correct.

    “We could be available at 1:00pm or 3:00pm tomorrow; 11:00am or 1:00pm Friday; if either of those times work for you and Jen.”

    The controlling subtlety here is that they can pick only one time. To have written ‘any one’ would have seemed a bit dull. Further, the other folks have been avoiding the conversation for days. ‘Any’ may not be wrong, but ‘either’ feels both more definitive and less imposing at the same time.

    I’d appreciate your thoughts.

    Thank you,
    Steve

  2. lkl 26 March 2014 / 16:54

    Hi Steve,

    I moved your comment here to the relevant lesson. As you can see, “either” is reserved for a choice between two options. Your usage is jarring to me since there are four choices, it’s simply not correct. Here’s another way you could get the same point across:

    …either 1 or 3 tomorrow, or else 11 or 1 Friday, if any / if one…

    Or you could just say …if one of those times works…

    But I vote no to “either.” Sorry.

  3. Steve 26 March 2014 / 17:06

    That was quick. Thanks.

  4. yousra 4 April 2014 / 09:19

    i have a question : are these two sentences correct to use with either or:

    he is between two choices either use this or leave it

    he is not free to use either this or that choice

  5. lkl 5 April 2014 / 06:41

    Yes, those are both correct.

  6. larry 26 April 2014 / 05:57

    Is the following correct?

    ‘No, I had no idea neither.’

    A friend of mine is convinced it’s correct but it just sounds wrong to me.

  7. lkl 26 April 2014 / 06:40

    You’re right and your friend is wrong. It’s not correct, because it’s a double negative. The correct ways to say that are

    No, I had no idea either.
    Neither did I.
    Me neither.

  8. Katy M 28 April 2014 / 17:09

    Often when replying to a statement such as ‘I don’t like Maths’ my friends say
    ‘Me either’

    I was just wondering whether this was correct as it has always seemed wrong to me as they are expressing a negative opinion.

  9. lkl 29 April 2014 / 19:14

    You’re right, they are wrong. There is no negation in “me either” – you have to say “me neither.”

  10. Dougie 29 April 2014 / 22:29

    “Neither of them is ready.”

    Shouldn’t it be neither of them *are ready?

    Them is plural, so the verb that succeeds it should be, too. This is my understanding, anyway…

  11. lkl 30 April 2014 / 05:39

    No, because the subject is not “them.” If it helps, say it like this: “Neither one of them is ready” – there you can see that the subject “one” is definitely singular. 🙂

  12. HASSAN 30 April 2014 / 17:24

    Dear Ma’am is it correct (a) ” Neither me nor he is perfect at grammar” (b) He doesn’t care and I don’t care either .(c) (either one of you will be here or will be punished . (d) neither of them are not happy …. Please correct if I am wrong.

  13. lkl 1 May 2014 / 06:20

    (a) Neither me nor he is perfect at grammar
    Neither I nor he is perfect at grammar.

    (b) He doesn’t care and I don’t care either
    Correct. Or you could say, “He doesn’t care and neither do I.”

    (c) either one of you will be here or will be punished
    Not sure what you mean here.

    (d) neither of them are not happy
    “Neither of them is not happy” would mean that they are both happy. Is that what you’re trying to say?

  14. Gionata 23 May 2014 / 14:30

    Hello I am foreign person I’d like to know if this conversation is correct:

    me: Mario Balotelli shouldn’t have been summoned into the italian national team media is making too much of a fuss about him being racially abused.

    unknown: so not being summoned would have been the solution?

    me: neither

  15. lkl 23 May 2014 / 16:32

    Hello, the first sentence doesn’t make sense, I can’t understand what you are trying to say.

    Also, you cannot use “neither” by itself. I can’t tell you what the last line should be until I understand the first.

  16. Helen 12 June 2014 / 04:20

    Dear Madam,

    Please could you confirm whether the following is correct? Many thanks!

    “He did not request this information, and nobody else in our firm did either”.

  17. lkl 12 June 2014 / 06:04

    Yes, it’s correct. Another way to say it is “and neither did anybody else in our firm.”

  18. cinta 30 June 2014 / 08:13

    excuse me.I need the help. It’s important. . I want to ask, “Anglo-Saxon society in England was neither primitive nor uncultured” is it means, “Anglo-Saxon society in England was advanced and cultured.” ? thank you 🙂

  19. lkl 5 July 2014 / 11:49

    Kind of. Saying that a society is not primitive is not quite the same thing as saying that it is advanced. It might be somewhere in between.

  20. ENISE 8 July 2014 / 12:24

    tomorrow i will not support you either

  21. Daniel 8 July 2014 / 14:50

    Hello, could you help me with this please?

    I read this sentence on a webiste …”Neither supermarket stocks lentils, or wholewheat pasta.”

    Is it fine, or should it be,,,NOR wholewheat pasta?

    Thank you!
    Dan

  22. lkl 8 July 2014 / 19:50

    It should say “nor wholewheat pasta.”

  23. lkl 8 July 2014 / 19:51

    That’s correct.

  24. ENISE 11 July 2014 / 16:44

    Want to know if : no mention mean ” you welcome “

  25. Daniel 11 July 2014 / 19:53

    Thanks for your response , i have another doubt, are these sentences okay?

    (I was talking about a songwriter/producer and some particular songs)

    He hasn’t either written or produced them

    He has neither written nor produced them

    Thanks Again!!

  26. lkl 12 July 2014 / 05:27

    No, it doesn’t. “Don’t mention it” means “you’re welcome.”

  27. lkl 12 July 2014 / 05:30

    >>He hasn’t either written or produced them

    No, that sounds weird. “He hasn’t written or produced them.”

    >>He has neither written nor produced them

    Perfect.

  28. PIYUSH 6 August 2014 / 15:29

    Is this sentence correct ?
    I have read neither of these books
    or
    I have gone to neither of these places

  29. lkl 8 August 2014 / 16:49

    I suppose they are technically correct, but they sound odd. It’s much more natural to say “I haven’t read either of these books” and “I haven’t gone to either of these places.

  30. Daniel 11 August 2014 / 14:55

    Hello!! an article says this:

    “There have been no elevations in intraocular pressure neither refractive
    changes.”

    is that okay?

    I would have written….”there have been neither elevations in intraocular pressure nor refractive changes” (or there have not been either elevations intraocular pressure or refractive chances)

    Honestly the use of neither and either is so confusing :S

    thanks a LOT! i really appreciate your help

  31. lkl 11 August 2014 / 16:16

    “There have been no elevations in intraocular pressure neither refractive changes.”

    Wrong. Neither can only be used without nor as explained above.

    “There have been neither elevations in intraocular pressure nor refractive changes”

    Correct.

    “There have not been either elevations in intraocular pressure or refractive chances”

    Correct, but awkward.

    Other possibilities:

    There have been neither elevations in intraocular pressure nor refractive changes.
    There have been no elevations in intraocular pressure nor refractive changes.
    There have not been any elevations in intraocular pressure or refractive changes.

  32. Daniel 30 August 2014 / 07:46

    Hello!! I have another doubt

    can “either” be used to offer a choice between more than 2 possiblities, like in the following example where 3 alternatives are presented?

    essential fatty acids coming from either fish oils, flaxseed oil or extra virgin olive oil. (I got this sentence from a website)

    Thank you so much!

  33. lkl 30 August 2014 / 16:15

    No, as it says above, either… or can only be used (correctly) with two possibilites.

  34. Daniel 31 August 2014 / 16:48

    Thank you so much Ikl!

    What word can you use when they are more than 2 possibilities? whether? regardless?

    for example using the example from the other post:

    and essential fatty acids whether they come from fish oils, flaxseed oil or extra virgin olive oil.

    is that correct?

    (here you have the full paragraph just in case you want to know the context)

    Definitely make sure that you cover at least the basics of supplementation which are a Multiple Vitamin and Mineral formula, 3 grams of Vitamin C split in 3 equal servings throughout the day, extra Calcium (preferably calcium citrate for best absorption), 200mcg of Chromium Picolinate, and essential fatty acids coming from either fish oils, flaxseed oil or extra virgin olive oil.

  35. lkl 1 September 2014 / 08:02

    Yes, “and essential fatty acids whether they come from fish oils, flaxseed oil or extra virgin olive oil” is correct.

    Other possibilities:

    “regardless of whether they come from…”

    “no matter whether they come from…”

  36. lkl 2 September 2014 / 10:45

    The whole sentence is ungrammatical – it’s a triple negative. Even if you change “neither” to “either,” there’s still a double negative: “never hurt nobody.” The correct sentence would be “never hurt anybody either,” but in this case, it seems like the triple negative is deliberate.

  37. Daniel 2 September 2014 / 16:53

    I’m so sorry that one more doubt just have come up to my head…

    It is correct to say…”I want to go either to the cinema or the mall”

    but what would happen if three alternatives were presented?

    “I want to go whether it be the cinema, the mall or a museum” ? or do you just say “I want to go to the cinema, the mall or a museum”?

    Thank you so so much! I really appreciate your help

  38. lkl 6 September 2014 / 11:19

    “I want to go to the cinema, the mall or a museum”

    Yes.

  39. Susannah 8 September 2014 / 04:07

    Can you use the word “nor” by itself? For example: He couldn’t remember how he got back to his hotel, nor how long he lay on his bed, still dressed, still in his damp overcoat.

  40. lkl 8 September 2014 / 17:17

    Yes, but you’re not actually using it by itself, you’re just pairing it with a different negative word. In your case, it’s “not” (in “couldn’t”), but you can also use it with other negative words:

    No one came to the party, nor did anyone call to let me know.
    Nothing is easy, nor is it cheap.
    etc.

  41. Noel Victor Comley 18 December 2014 / 19:48

    In the case of “We could be available at 1:00pm or 3:00pm tomorrow; 11:00am or 1:00pm Friday; if either of those times work for you and Jen.” either is correct as the reader is being asked to decide between the given dates/times.

    If the reader was being asked to: “We could be available at 1:00pm or 3:00pm tomorrow; 11:00am or 1:00pm Friday; if neither of those times work for you and Jen.” it would imply that the reader was being asked to suggest another time if none of the suggested times were suitable. It may have been best, in that case, to use “none” instead of either either or neither.

    There is of course the well known “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds” so nor is not always restricted to a choice of two,

  42. miguel 29 January 2015 / 17:47

    HELP ME with EITHER/NEITHER

    In the following sentences:
    1 – “We brought neither coffee nor tea”
    2- “Jenny is neither nice nor polite”
    3- “I will neither help you nor go to my room”
    4- “Neither do I want to go to the beach, nor do I feel like going to the countryside”
    5- “ Neither do I know which team won the final, nor do I care”

    Why the two last do have the auxiliary “DO” after NEITHER? I thought that was due the two last sentences(4 y 5) refer to accions, but I need someone to certificate that, because the third refers to an acction too and hasn’t “DO”.

    Another question I have:Can the third to be equivalent to “neither do I will help you, nor do I go to my room”?. Thanks a lot

  43. miguel 30 January 2015 / 13:00

    4- “Neither do I want to go to the beach, nor do I feel like going to the countryside”
    5- “ Neither do I know which team won the final, nor do I care”

    Then, Can “DO” be skipped in those sentences(4 y 5)?. Does “Do” just give stress to those sentences ?

    Thank you, a lot (again)

  44. lkl 31 January 2015 / 16:39

    No, you can’t leave out do, because it is required as a helping verb with negation: for example, I do not know, nor do I care. The only time you don’t need do with negation is with the verb be or a modal verb like will, would, can, etc.

  45. miguel 4 February 2015 / 11:09

    Hi, again
    If “Neither will I help you, nor will I go to my room” is equal “I will neither help you nor go to my room”

    Then, Do
    4- “Neither do I want to go to the beach, nor do I feel like going to the countryside” or
    5- “ Neither do I know which team won the final, nor do I care”
    have some other way to rewrite it?

    I really appreciate your help. Thanks a lot

  46. lkl 4 February 2015 / 12:15

    Yes, but they’re kind of awkward. I’ve rewritten them using neither, and then again the way I’d actually say it.

    I neither want to go to the beach, nor feel like going to the countryside.
    Rewrite: I don’t want to go to the beach or the countryside.

    I neither know which team won, nor care.
    Rewrites: I don’t know which team won, nor do I care.
    or
    I neither know nor care which team won.

  47. shahbaloch 8 February 2015 / 11:41

    is it correct… u should do ur home work either u will be punished.

  48. lkl 8 February 2015 / 14:12

    No, it’s not correct. You can’t use either without or.

    The correct sentence is, “You should do your homework or you will be punished.”

  49. Fabiana 4 March 2015 / 16:29

    Hi, I am a Brazilian teacher and I am going to teach this topic to my students tomorrow and have a question about it : in negatives, like: ” When I was a child I didn’t have neither a dog nor a cat, I had a bird.” Is it right?…thank you.

  50. lkl 4 March 2015 / 16:41

    Hi. No, that’s not correct – it’s what we call a “double negative” which is not allowed in English. Here’s what you can say:

    When I was a child, I had neither a dog nor a cat.
    or
    When I was a child, I didn’t have a dog or a cat.

  51. Wayne 23 May 2015 / 09:18

    Hello,

    Thanks for the nice article.

    I have a question, can i use either when someone wish me luck or something?
    Example: ”sending positive vibes to you!,,
    ” you either!,,

    Thank for your answer!

  52. lkl 27 May 2015 / 14:20

    No, in that case, you want “you too!”

  53. chat 19 June 2015 / 00:07

    Does this sound ok: That can not be done by me or my deputy, (by) you neither your deputy? If it does not what would be the closest and shortest acceptable sentence? No matter if it is not strictly grammatically correct… Thank you!

  54. lkl 12 July 2015 / 06:08

    “That cannot be done by me or my deputy” is fine.

  55. heidi 12 October 2016 / 14:00

    Is this correct?

    I feel like Jason and Emily are two divorced parents fighting over custody of us.
    Problem is we don’t really want either.

  56. lkl 12 October 2016 / 16:30

    Yes, perfect. You could also add “one” or “of them” after either.

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