{"id":4081,"date":"2021-01-15T09:00:48","date_gmt":"2021-01-15T15:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/?p=4081"},"modified":"2024-06-13T18:03:30","modified_gmt":"2024-06-13T23:03:30","slug":"either-vs-neither","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/definitions\/either-vs-neither\/","title":{"rendered":"Either<\/em> vs. Neither<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you ever wondered whether either<\/em> or neither<\/em> is the right word to use when you’re writing or speaking? Either<\/em> and neither<\/em> are similar words, but they have separate meanings. Let’s review either vs. neither<\/em> and consider a few examples.<\/p>\n

When to Use Either<\/em><\/h2>\n

The word either<\/em> separates two choices, outcomes, or possibilities: We could have<\/em> either pizza or spaghetti for dinner.<\/em><\/p>\n

You can usually think of either<\/em> as meaning “one of” or “this or that.” In some contexts, it can mean “both” in a singular way: If you head south, there are coffee shops on<\/em> either side of the street.<\/em><\/p>\n

When to Use Neither<\/em><\/h2>\n

The word neither<\/em> refers negatively to a pair of choices: I went to the hardware store to find nails. They had two sizes, but<\/em> neither will work for my roof.<\/em><\/p>\n

You can also use neither<\/em> to mean “not one of two things.” For example, neither of my parents likes seafood<\/em> is a shorter way of saying my mother does not like seafood, and my father also does not like seafood.<\/em><\/p>\n

You can think of neither<\/em> as a shortened version of “not either,” meaning “no” to both of two choices.<\/p>\n

Either<\/em> vs. Neither<\/em>: Avoiding Confusion<\/h2>\n

The best way to differentiate either<\/em> and neither<\/em> is to remember that one is positive and the other is negative. That’s why either<\/em> goes with or<\/em> and neither<\/em> goes with nor.<\/em><\/p>\n

In daily usage, either<\/em> often suggests a dual choice, such as pizza vs. spaghetti. It also means “one or the other.”<\/p>\n

The negative neither<\/em> conveys a dismissal of both choices: If you were having neither<\/em> pizza nor spaghetti, you would be saying no to both. Neither<\/em> also means “not either.”<\/p>\n

Pop Quiz<\/h2>\n

Using what you’ve learned from this article, determine whether either<\/em> or neither<\/em> is the best usage in each sentence.<\/p>\n

1. The salesperson said I could choose [either \/ neither] a blue sofa or a red sofa.<\/p>\n

2. My friend has to choose between [either \/ neither] going to the concert or having dinner with his brother.<\/p>\n

3. It’s too bad that [either \/ neither] one of us won the lottery last week.<\/p>\n

4. I was disappointed that [either \/ neither] of my favorite teams won last week.<\/p>\n

5. We can take a cab or a bus, but heavy traffic means we will be late [either\/neither] way.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Pop Quiz Answers<\/h3>\n

1. The salesperson said I could choose either<\/strong> a blue sofa or a red sofa.<\/p>\n

2. My friend has to choose between either<\/strong> going to the concert or having dinner with his brother.<\/p>\n

3. It’s too bad that neither<\/strong> one of us won the lottery last week.<\/p>\n

4. I was disappointed that neither<\/strong> of my favorite teams won last week.<\/p>\n

5. We can take a cab or a bus, but heavy traffic means we will be late either<\/strong> way.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Come Back for More Grammar Articles and Tips<\/h2>\n

Looking to sharpen your knowledge of American English or gain more grammar tips? Visit our blog again soon or leave a comment below to ask a question or share thoughts. You might inspire a future post!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Have you ever wondered whether either or neither is the right word to use when you’re writing or speaking? Either and neither are similar words, but they have separate meanings. Let’s review either vs. neither and consider a few examples. When to Use Either The word either separates two choices, outcomes, or possibilities: We could […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adjectives-adverbs","category-definitions"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4081"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4081"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4081\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6985,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4081\/revisions\/6985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}