Both, either, neither- quantifiers Cen3

• Engels
• MBO
• Studiejaar 1-4

Both, either, neither- quantifiers

We use both, either and neither to talk about two things or people.

• Both= A and B (the two things or people)
  
• Either= A or B (one thing/person or the other thing/person)
  
• Neither= not A and not B (zero out of two things or people)

We'll arrive .............on Friday night or Saturday morning.

1. both
2. either
3. neither

Both / either / neither + noun

We can use both/either/neither + noun

I like both cars.

You can park on either side of the street.

Neither parent was at the meeting. 

Note that we use both + plural noun and either/neither + singular noun.

Both (of) / either of / neither of

We can use both (of) / either of / neither of + the/these/my/her/Peter’s/etc. + noun

• Both (of) your parents are really nice.
  
• Either of those two dates is perfect for the wedding. (=We can choose one or the other)
  
• Neither of the tennis players had a great game.
  

Note that we don’t need of after both.

Both of your parents are really nice. = Both your parents are really nice.

............ the platforms have lots of apps.

1. Neither of
2. Either of
3. Both of

We can use both of / either of / neither of + us/you/them

• Both them did very well in the exam. X
• Both of them did very well in the exam. V
• Can either of you give me a coin for the vending machine? V
• Neither of us knows the truth. V

Tom and Kevin were at the concert, but I didn't see ....them

1. neither of
2. either of
3. both of
4. either

Both / either / neither (without a noun)

We can use both/either/neither alone, without a noun.

• A: Do you speak French or Spanish? B: I speak both.
  
• A: Do you want tea or coffee? B: Either. I don’t mind.
  
• A: Which car do you prefer? B: Neither. I think both of them are horrible. 

Did you eat the sandwichor the pizza? I ate ...... I was really hungry.

1. either
2. neither
3. both

Both … and …/ either … or … / neither … nor …

We can say both … and …/ either … or … / neither … nor … to mention the two things or people that we are talking about.

• She ate both the rice and the meat.
  
• Both Susan and Peter helped me with my report.
  
• You need to speak one foreign language, either Spanish or French.
  
• You can either wait here or go home.
  
• I like neither maths nor physics.
  
• He neither called nor texted.  

I've got ..... time nor money to go on holiday.

1. neither
2. either
3. both

Remember this!

Use either and neither with a singular verb.

• Either candidate is good.
  
• Neither of the candidates is good. 

(not) either= neither.

• I don’t like either of the options. = I like neither of the options.

The word neither is negative, so we use it with positive verbs.

• Neither John nor Paula can’t come. X
• Neither John nor Paula can come. V

We also use the word both with positive verbs. We can only use either with negative verbs.

• I didn’t like both/neither of the pictures. X
• I didn’t like either of the pictures. V

We've got two children , but .... them lives with us any longer.

1. both of
2. either of
3. either
4. neither of

Being a celebrity is something that she ..... loves and hates.

1. both
2. either
3. neither

You can't wear ......those dresses. They don't suit you.

1. neither of
2. either of
3. both of

You can wear ....those dresses. Choose the one you like better.

1. both of
2. neither of
3. either of

Fortunately, ........ Maria's parents was injured during the incident.

1. both of
2. neither of
3. either of

Homework

complete the reading and grammar assignments in Teams