Nouns, articles & quantity · CEFR B2 · Confident
either / neither — English nouns and articles
Either means one of two, neither means not one of the two. Both take a singular noun after them.
The shape
either / neither + singular noun
Talk about two things, one way or neither way.
In Hindi
either यानी दो में से कोई एक, neither यानी दोनों में से कोई नहीं। दोनों के बाद एकवचन आता है।
CoCap explains every structure in both languages, because a rule you understand in Hindi is a rule you can use in English.
The mistake to fix first
The sentence Indian-English speakers actually produce, and the reason it is wrong.
| Commonly said | Correct English |
|---|---|
Neither of the answers are correct. | Neither of the answers is correct. "Neither" is singular, so the verb is "is" in careful English. |
Easy to confuse with
Close enough to be mixed up with this one. Knowing the difference is most of knowing either.
- either…or / neither…norB2Offer two options, or rule both out
- either / neither / orB2Choose the verb when two subjects are joined by "or"
Questions people ask
- What is the either / neither used for?
- Either means one of two, neither means not one of the two. Both take a singular noun after them. In practice: talk about two things, one way or neither way.
- How do you form the either / neither?
- either / neither + singular noun.
- What is the most common mistake with the either / neither?
- Saying “Neither of the answers are correct.” instead of “Neither of the answers is correct.”. "Neither" is singular, so the verb is "is" in careful English.
Where either / neither fits
Where this structure sits in the ladder, and what surrounds it.
either / neither is a CEFR B2 structure — the confident band — and it belongs to nouns, articles & quantity. CoCap’s syllabus files every structure this way so you can learn in order instead of jumping between whatever a search happened to return.
Reading it is not the same as saying it.
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