If a verb is already in the negative then either or is used and not neither nor. The rule of two was instituted by darth bane, once a student at. Book recommendations common english mistakes grammar rules. In this situation, another way to say it would be i wont go and wont talk about it. Although it is rather easy to make the english verb agree with the subject. However, bare either or neither, without further specification, should only be used of two options.
Eitheror is used when making a positive decision between two or more things. Grammarians differ on this point, but theres a long history of both either or and neither nor being. Apr 12, 2020 although some suggest that using the word neither with more than two items is incorrect, it has been commonly used to refer to more than two subjects since the 17th century. When two subjects are connected by neither nor, the subject that is closest to the verb determines whether the verb is. The words each, each one, either, neither, everyone, everybody, anybody, anyone. If one or both of the alternatives are plural, use a plural verb. If you want to take your english education even further, find out more about kaplans english courses today and see how fast your skills improve. In spoken language, the plural form of the verb is more usual. So if you want to add ketchup to your list of dislikes, you have to say, i like neither hot dogs nor mustard nor ketchup.
Either and neither are singular either and neither are singular concepts. She will have to choose either monday, tuesday, or wednesday. It would be incorrect to use an or anywhere in that sentenceor to leave out either case of nor. But if you use neither, then make sure your sentence does not have any other negatives preceding it. It says that it is informal to use either on more than two options, but is used widely especially in oral communication.
The book, including all the chapters in the first section, is boring. Select the response from the list that best completes the sentence. Use neither in a sentence neither sentence examples. The cambridge grammar of the english language notes that the duality of either and neither is weakened. The traditional rule also holds that neither is grammatically singular. When using eitheror and neithernor, note the following rules. Although not a major grammatical error, the grouping of more than two things is frowned upon by followers of some style conventions. Neither candidate is having an easy time with the press. Two singular subjects connected by or, eitheror, or neithernor require a. It is also implied that only one of the two will happen but not both. The quick answer the pairing neither nor plays a negative role, so take care to avoid an unintended double negative. May 24, 2012 neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds in short, place neither before the first item and nor before all the rest. Sep 30, 2017 not really, no, any more than you could use either for more than two items. And check out our books about the english language.
Whether youre writing your first book or your tenth, you can benefit from a critique. Singular nouns go with singular verbs while plural nouns go with plural verbs. The neithernor combination gets rid of the need for not and it adds further emphasis that neither will be done even more than wont. Is it correct to use more than one nor clause in a neither expression. When using eitheror and neither nor, note the following rules. Although either and neither are both used as a negative too, they follow different rules.
The rule of two doctrine, also called the banite system and known as chwayatyun in sith, was the guiding principle of the order of the sith lords after the internecine new sith wars. Phoebe and hannah are twins, they are four and they make me very happy. Neither the plates nor the serving bowl goes on that shelf. Home page for english grammar today on cambridge dictionary. Is it ok to use either or neither with more than two choices. Eitheror and neithernor beware double negatives the pairings eitheror and neithernor can be used to group two people or things. Two dozen eggs two gross of pencils three hundred pounds a threefoot rule.
When neither is used at the beginning of a clause and is not paired with nor, but follows a previous negative statement, we must invert word order, meaning that the subject and the. Parents is plural, so the plural verb were is correct. The word either can be a pronoun or an adjective more specifically, a determiner, which is a kind of adjective. The verb in an or, eitheror, or neithernor sentence agrees with the noun or pronoun closest to it examples. Neither she, my friends, nor i am going to the festival.
Note that neither is only used once, no matter how many times you use nor. Conjunction you use neither nor when you are talking about two or more things that are not true or that do not happen. The word of is the culprit in many, perhaps most, subjectverb mistakes. If youre presenting two alternatives, youll often use an either or. I want to buy either a new desktop computer or a laptop, but i have neither the cash nor the credit i need. However, he didnt mention that what is the best alternative to either in three or more options in formal context, and hence i posted this question here. May 25, 2016 either or, neither nor may 25, 2016 yanira. Neither did i take vacation, nor did i ask for sick leave. Can we use neither and nor when speaking of more than two. Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds. You can use nor when talking about more than two ideas, though, but you need to repeat the word nor after each item in your list. How to use either, neither, nor and or guest writer. You may also use nor if youre talking about more than two items, but you must repeat nor after each element 2.
Neither leila nor nancy is going to write the report. They are used together to offer a choice between two things. They are used to compare two alternatives or optionsnot more than two. I want to buy either a new desktop computer or a laptop, but i have neither the cash nor the credit i. You cannot mix them, but often the word either is omitted. This article is about rule of parallel structure enjoy your reading. Compare your responses to the feedback by clicking the check or check 110 button.
When the subjects joined by ornor are of different numbers, the verb must be plural, and the plural subject must be placed next to. As were presenting a noun phrase with multiple objects, it seems natural to use a plural, but the verb may often be in the singular. Neither, neither nor and not either english grammar today uma referencia a gramatica e uso do ingles escrito e falado cambridge dictionary cambridge dictionary plus meu perfil. I seem to remember convincing myself that three work the same as two. Singular and plural verbs with eitheror and neithernor. The proscription against using or, rather than nor, with neither i was neither here or there instead of i was neither here nor there is likewise not absolute, but nor is most common, and in this case i support the restriction. How to use either, neither, or and nor kaplan blog. Eitheror is used for a binary choice one or the other. When the subject of a sentence is composed of two or more nouns or pronouns. Neither nor mistakes this rule of parallel construction applies to all the correlative conjunctions. Two or more singular subjects connected by or, nor, either or, neither. Almost always, the noun phrase is of shorthand for neither one of two items, and in this usual case, the correct form is neither is. You know neither me, yourselves nor any thing from coriolanus, c.
Get the grammar girls take on correctly using nor in a sentence. Complete the sentence with or, nor, eitheror, neithernor or verb agreement. Notice that neithernor becomes eitheror in that case, because you wouldnt want to use a. Can we use neither and nor when speaking of more than two subjects. Grammarians differ on this point, but theres a long history of both either. Its now more important than ever to develop a powerful writing style. If each or every, each of, either of, neither of comes before two or more than two subjects, connected by and singular verb should be used. Either sue or the girls are going to prepare dinner tonight.
He spent the first two decades of his life coming to terms with being neither deaf nor hearing a neithernor. How to use nor correctly grammar girl quick and dirty tips. If neither jon snow nor daenerys end up ruling in the end. Whats the best way to use either on more than two options. Neither the question, nor the answers, nor the comments. In your example, neither is a pronoun that is standing in for a noun or noun phrase. Neither my mother nor my father went to university. For example, incorrect neither he nor i were there. Moremost important neither nor new years resolution noncount subjectverb. These two defining events formed the core of his being. Understanding either or and neither nor daily writing tips. The play was neither as funny nor as exciting as she said it was. After all, most communication takes place in reports, emails, and instant.
When making comparisons, either goes with or and neither with nor. Neither is paired with nor and either is paired with or. The problem is that both, either and neither and in particular both have different functions. Either, neither, nor, or, both, so a free english exercise to learn english. Subjectverb agreement can be confusing when we use eitheror or neithernor couplets. Neither definition, not either, as of persons or things specified usually followed by nor. Singular and plurals a singular noun indicates one object. Agreement between the subject and the verb english language. I suppose a corollary of this is that or and nor may be mixed. The more modern usage does prefer none with more than two things. Related content whether or not, prefer x to y, adv for focus eitheror neithernor when or connects two sentence elements, no comma is used. Standard dictionaries generally accept the use of either or neither to introduce a series of more than two items.
Can we use neither and nor when speaking of more than. However, it was neither her spirit nor her willingness that made her worthy of being his apprentice. Anyone who has read the books and watched the show know how theyre two different entities after a point and one has got not. Sometimes you can use either one and sometimes you have to choose either one or the other, but neither one is very difficult. Neither, neither nor and not either english grammar. Subjectverb agreement grammar rules the blue book of. Problems also arise when the speaker or writer is faced with more than one noun or.
Subjectverb agreement grammar rules blue book of grammar. Eitheror and neither nor beware double negatives the pairings eitheror and neither nor can be used to group two people or things. Jay had seen neither the snake nor the wasps nest on the next tree, and was preparing to stake his tarp in that lessthansafe location. The eighth and largest group, which in its enormous numbers was to the others as ninetynine to one, consisted of men who desired neither peace nor war, neither an advance nor a defensive camp at the drissa or anywhere else, neither barclay nor the emperor, neither pfuel nor bennigsen, but only the one most essential thingas much advantage. Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds in short, place neither before the. Jan 27, 2012 neither man nor woman has been to mars. Neither nor used in a sentence in the negative sense when you want to say that two or more things are not true. Important subject verb agreement rules pdf english punch. Merriamwebster unabridged, for example, says either can be used before two or more coordinate words, phrases, or clauses joined usually by or. For example, if i is one of two or more subjects, it could lead to this odd sentence. Anyway im not too sure whats the confusing thing i said i was confused over, since i just use 1 or 2 most of the time. You might wonder whether sentences like these are permissible. When neithernor begins a sentence and joins two verbs, the axillary verb precedes the subject. Jan 01, 2010 for example, you might say, i like neither hot dogs nor mustard.
The word neither can also be a determiner or a pronoun. Do not use eitherneither when there are more than two things involved. Neither the serving bowl nor the plates go on that shelf this rule can lead to bumps in the road. You may also use nor if youre talking about more than two items, but you must repeat nor after each element. If both elements are singular, then the verb is singular too. You use neither nor when you are talking about two or more things that are not true or that do not happen.
He spent the first two decades of his life coming to terms with being neither deaf nor hearing a neither nor, an inbetween and a. If you prefer to use a negative, then you want to use either. Plural and neither nor, english grammar, advanced english. You may either go to the library or a book store to get a copy of the required. The english words either and neither can cause some problems for native and nonnative speakers of english. The question though about the books, is based on what happened in the show eventually and thats where it all falls apart. Although some suggest that using the word neither with more than two items is incorrect, it has been commonly used to refer to more than two subjects since the 17th century. It replaced the practices of lord kaans brotherhood of darkness, which claimed equality among sith lords and forbade the use of the title darth. However, if one of the elements is plural, then use a plural verb. Neither the serving bowl nor the plates go on that shelf. Typically, the neither nor structure is only used when drawing a negative connection between two objects or actions. A nor usually follows a neither when theyre used in the same sentence 1. Two singular nouns or pronouns separated by either or or neither nor take a. Earl doherty, through his website and first book, the jesus puzzle, is regarded by many as having given jesus mythicism its most legitimate and convincing expression in over a generation.
The thing is that in mathematics, nor means exclusive or. When three or more elements are joined, a comma is used. Even if it is, is it so rarely used that it would be better to reword the sentence, or is it fine to use as is. For example, you might say, i like neither hot dogs nor mustard. With either or and neither nor, the noun closest to the verb determines the agreement. Neither god nor man is a new and revised expansion of that work. According to context and to the grammar book you consult, they can be considered as quantifiers, adjectives, pronouns, correlating coordinators or adverbs. In english, does nor just mean or but used only with a negation do not, neither at the beginning. Either and neither are used in negative sentences to mean too.