‘Both’, ‘neither’ or ‘either’ in English
‘Both’, ‘neither’ or ‘either’
English Vocabulary Lesson
“Both”, “neither”, and “either” are terms used to describe that 0, 1 or 2 of something (or someone) will be addressed in some way.
Both = 2
Neither = 0
Either = 1
However, in addition to just referring to a number, these words emphasize a relationship to two; that is:
Both = 2/2
Neither = 0/2
Either = 1/2
Examples
Both
(2/2)
“Both of the children do well at school.” (child 1 AND child 2)
“I’d like to wear both blue and pink tomorrow.” (blue AND pink together in one outfit)
“She enjoys both school and playing sports.”
Either
(1/2)
“He’ll eat either chocolate or vanilla; they can’t be mixed together.”
“Most 24 year olds want to focus on either career or marriage, but not both.”
“Either way, I’ll be going home at 12.” (“either way” = “No matter what happens” or “whichever event occurs”).
Neither
(0/2)
“Neither [one] of us want to go grocery shopping, so let’s order takeout.”
↑ Saying “one” after “neither” is correct, but we frequently drop it in everyday English.
Q: “Do you study at your house or at school?”
A: “Neither—I study at the local library.”
“That light in the sky is neither a planet nor a star. I wonder what it is.”
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