‘Either…or…’ OR ‘Neither…nor…‘— Which do I use?
‘Either…or…’ and ‘neither…nor…’ are used as conjunctions that connect two choices. Read on to understand how to use them.
EITHER…OR…:
‘Either…or…’ can be used to connect two positive statements.
Sunny will pick you up. Tina will pick you up. → Either Sunny or Tina will pick you up.
You can take a cab. You can wait till I get back. → You can either take a cab or wait till I get back.
NEITHER…NOR…:
‘Neither…nor…’ is used to connect two negative statements.
I will not call you on your birthday. I will not message you on your birthday. → I will neither call nor message you on your birthday.
Thomas didn’t remember my birthday. Sathya didn’t remember my birthday. → Neither Thomas nor Sathya remembered my birthday.
Subject-verb agreement for ‘Either…or’ and ‘Neither…nor’
When ‘either…or…’ and ‘neither…nor…’ are used to connect two singular nouns, the verb is in the singular form.
Either Jim or Malik has my phone. (‘has’ is used, not ‘have’)
Neither she nor her mother is coming for the event. (‘is’ is used, not ‘are’)
Similarly, when these conjunctions are used to connect two plural nouns, the plural form of the verb is used.
Either the football fans or the tennis fans are using the TV. (‘are’ is used, not ‘is’)
Neither the teachers nor the students were found. (‘were’ is used, not ‘was’)
When these conjunctions connect a plural noun and a singular noun, the verb agrees with the noun that it is closest to.
Either Hannah or the children are at home. (‘are’ is used because the plural noun ‘children’ is closest to it)
Neither the children nor Hannah is at home. (‘is’ is used because the singular noun ‘Hannah’ is closest to it)
Watch the video below that summarizes how to use ‘either…or’ and ‘neither…nor’.
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