"Either" and "Neither"... Which one should we use?

In this blog post I will explain two words that always confuse English learners, "either" and "neither." If you don't understand these two words, then keep reading, or watch the video, and you will be a master of these two words.

Either

“Either” is commonly used when presenting two options, and emphasizing that only one choice can be made, not both. 

For example:

• "You can have either coffee or tea."

• "You can visit either Paris or London."

• "She can have either pizza or nothing."

*Form: "Either" can be placed before or after the main verb. See below:

• "You can either have coffee or tea."

• "You can have either coffee or tea."

*TIP: never say “nor” with either, we only use nor with neither.

“Either” can also be used to show that you don't have a preference. When you have no strong preference between two options, use "either." This expresses indifference (which means to not have a preference). 

For Example:

• I don't know which computer to buy, I like them both and either of them would be perfect for me.

• Jane doesnt know which office chair to buy, she thinks either of them would be comfy.

• If your friend asks you which shirt is better to wear and they are both good options, you can say:  “Either shirt is fine.” or simply say “Either.”

• If your boyfriend or girlfriend asks you which restaurant you want to go to and you don’t have a preference, you can say, "Either is fine," or just say “Either.” 

**basically any time you have 2 choices and you don't have a preference, just say “Either.”

Neither

Similar to either, neither is used to indicate that both options are not good enough or you don't like both of them.  

Examples:

• "Neither candidate was suitable for the job."

• "Neither of the restaurants was appealing."

• "Neither phone had a good camera."

>>We can say the same thing and use “nor” if we want to mention both individual things we are talking about, compare these sentences with the ones above.

• “Neither John nor Tim was suitable for the job.”

• “Neither McDonalds nor BurgerKing was appealing.”

• “Neither the Samsung phone nor the Iphone had a good camera.”

It's also used to agree with negative statements made by others.

When someone makes a negative statement that you agree with, you can respond with "me neither."  For example:

• Tom: "I don't like this music."

• You:  "Me neither."

• Joe:  “I don't want to live here forever.”

• You:  “Me neither”

Alternatively, you could replace “neither” with ”not + either."

• Tom: "I don't like this music."

• You: "I don't like it either"  

• James: “I don't want to live here forever.”

• You: “I don't want to either,” 

*Tip: we cannot use neither or either to agree with a positive sentence, notice in the examples I used above that they are negative.  To agree with a negative sentence, you have to use another word, like “me too” or “I also ….”

*Second Tip: if you don't know what a negative sentence is, a quick google search will explain it for you.

Practice Exercises

Read the dialogue and you can try to think of how you would reply.

1. James wants to agree with genny, what word should complete the sentence?

2. Genny: “I don’t want to go to the meeting today.”

3. James: “me ____”

1. Mark is giving Dave two options and he does not have a preference, what could he say?

2. Mark: “Which phone do you want, the Iphone 13 pro or the Iphone 13 pro max?”

3. Dave: “____ of them”

1. What else could Jill say to agree with Tim’s negative sentence.

2. Tim: “I don't like scary movies.”

3. Jill: “I don't like them either”

1. How could Millie say this sentence using the word either?

2. Millie: you can have pizza or lasagna, not both.

1. How can Jacob reply to Johnny? He doesn't have a preference.

2. Johnny: Do you want coke or pepsi?

3. Jacob: _______

1.  How can Bobby say the sentence with the word neither? Is there another way to say it with not+either?

2. Bobby: Both of the students did not pass the test.

Summary

The differences between "either" and "neither" are not the simplest, but they are not so bad either. If you read this blog two times, you will definitely understand it and master it.

Learning to use these two words allows you to speak more directly in english. 

Remember, 

1- "Either" offers a choice between two options, when only one can be selected. It also can be used as a reply when someone gives you 2 choices that you do not have a preference over. 

2- "Neither" is used to show that both of the choices are not good enough or that both of the choices are not suitable options. Neither is also used to agree with negative sentences and you could also use “not+either” instead of neither….  Here are just a few more examples before you go…

Either:

1- you can have either an Iphone or a samsung, not both.

2- Either of them are good enough, I don't care which one I get.

• Tom: Do you want a black or blue pen?

• James: Either one is good.

Neither:

1- both options are not good enough

• Tom: “Do you want to work Saturday or Sunday for overtime?”

• James: “neither”

1- agree with a negative sentence:

• Tom: “I do not like paying taxes.”

• James: “me neither”

• OR: “I do not like it either”

ALSO: we always treat neither and either as singular, so we always use “is” not “are”. And “was” not “were.”

This Blog’s purpose is to help you understand the essential differences between these two words, and also give you some practice using them. 

***Advanced things I did not talk about: Not for beginners

When you are saying that both options are not good enough, I told you we use “neither,” as in “neither person was good enough for the job,” but sometimes, depending on how we word the sentence, we might also say “I do not want either.” 

The common rule for this is basically:...

When saying both options are not good enough, use neither if it is the first word of the sentence, and use “not + either” in other kinds of sentences. Example:

• Neither of the phones was good enough

• I do not want either of the phones

• Neither of the shirts was comfy

• I do not like either of the shirts

Can you see the grammar rule? 

If the subject of the sentence is the two things you are talking about, you use 'neither,' so if you use neither, it should always be the first word of the sentence…. However, if the subject is a person, like 'I' or 'he,' then 'not + either' is the correct choice. 

Here are more examples: 

1) 

• Neither of the movies was interesting to me.

• I did not enjoy watching either of the movies.

2) 

• Neither of the meals was satisfying.

• I would not recommend either of the meals.

3) 

• Neither of the books was engaging.

• I could not get into either of the books.

4) 

• Neither of the destinations appeals to me.

• I'm not excited about visiting either of the destinations.

5) 

• Neither of the courses was helpful.

• I did not find value in either of the courses.

I hope this helped, leave a comment below or find my whatsapp on the home page and you can ask me. 😀 Keep learning, and read this blog 2 times if you are confused. See you next week!! 🙂 😎