neither
neither — determiner
1. used before a singular noun to show that you are talking about both of two peopl
used before a singular noun to show that you are talking about both of two people or things and saying that not one of them is involved or true.
Neither parent knew that their son had skipped school that day.
neither + singular noun (parent)
The two candidates gave short speeches, but neither speech convinced the voters.
Ingrid tried both doors at the back of the house, but neither door would open.
Neither team scored a goal during the first half of the match.
Tariq looked at two apartments near the train station, but neither apartment felt right.
- either
refers to one or the other of two, not both; opposite in meaning when used with negatives
文法句型
neither + [singular noun]
neither + [singular noun phrase]
用法筆記
The noun after 'neither' is always singular, and the verb that follows must also be singular — even when the noun refers to a group of people, as in 'Neither family was willing to move.'
常見錯誤
2. used with 'nor' to connect two noun phrases, showing that both are not true and
used with 'nor' to connect two noun phrases, showing that both are not true and that the negative statement applies to each of them.
Neither the manager nor the staff knew about the sudden inspection.
verb agreement with noun after 'nor' (staff = plural → knew)
Devika speaks neither French nor Spanish, so she uses English at work.
Neither rain nor snow will stop the postal delivery trucks.
Neither the blue sofa nor the grey one fits through the front door.
Hannah ordered neither coffee nor tea, just a glass of water.
- both
'both' affirms the two items together; 'neither...nor' denies each individually
文法句型
neither + [noun phrase] + nor + [noun phrase]
用法筆記
When two subjects are connected by 'neither...nor', the verb agrees with the noun phrase that follows 'nor' — the one closest to the verb. Compare: 'Neither the teacher nor the students were ready.' vs 'Neither the students nor the teacher was ready.'
常見錯誤
neither — pronoun
1. refers to not one of two people or things, and not the other one either; can sta
refers to not one of two people or things, and not the other one either; can stand by itself or appear after 'of' in phrases such as 'neither of them'.
I asked both of my colleagues for help, but neither of them had time.
neither of + plural pronoun (them) + singular verb (had)
Constanza tried two different passwords, but neither worked.
There are two cafés near the library; neither is open after nine at night.
Neither of the candidates answered the question about education funding.
The shop assistant showed Amira two dresses, but she liked neither.
- both
refers to the two together, affirmative where 'neither' is negative
文法句型
neither of + [plural noun/pronoun]
neither + [singular verb]
neither + [prepositional phrase]
用法筆記
When 'neither' is the subject, the verb is always singular, even in formal UK English. 'Neither of them is ready' — NOT 'are ready'. In informal US speech, plural verbs occasionally appear, but standard usage requires the singular.
常見錯誤
neither — adverb
1. used after a negative statement to add that the same thing is true for someone o
used after a negative statement to add that the same thing is true for someone or something else; the verb and subject switch order after 'neither'.
Olivia does not like spicy food, and neither does her younger brother.
neither + auxiliary (does) + subject (her younger brother)
I have never been to Japan, and neither have my parents.
The hotel room was not very clean, and neither was the restaurant.
Élise cannot afford a new phone right now, and neither can her flatmate.
Dahlia did not enjoy the film, and neither did her friend Apinya.
- so
'so' + auxiliary + subject is the affirmative counterpart: 'I like it, and so does she.'
文法句型
neither + [auxiliary verb] + [subject]
clause + , and neither + [auxiliary] + [subject]
用法筆記
This structure requires subject-auxiliary inversion: the auxiliary verb comes before the subject, not after. If the first clause uses a simple past or present tense without an auxiliary, add 'do/does/did' in the 'neither' clause. Example: 'Eri left early.' → 'Eri did not leave early, and neither did Tamar.'
常見錯誤
neither — conjunction
1. used as a pair with 'nor' to connect two or more negative alternatives of the sa
used as a pair with 'nor' to connect two or more negative alternatives of the same grammatical type — verbs, adjectives, adverbs, or whole clauses.
The instructions were neither clear nor easy to follow.
neither + adjective (clear) nor + adjective (easy)
Niran neither called to cancel nor sent a message about the delay.
The new policy helps neither the students nor the teaching staff.
Heather could neither confirm the story nor deny it completely.
The witness was neither sure of the date nor certain about the time.
- nor
can replace 'and neither' to introduce a second negative clause; less common with parallel items within a clause
- both...and
the affirmative correlative pair: 'Both the time and the money were available.'
文法句型
neither + [word/phrase/clause] + nor + [parallel word/phrase/clause]
用法筆記
The elements joined by 'neither...nor' must be parallel in structure — both nouns, both verbs, both adjectives, etc. Breaking parallelism sounds unnatural: compare 'He neither has the time nor the money' (acceptable but slightly off) with 'He has neither the time nor the money' (correct and parallel).