Mastering “Neither… nor” and “Either… or” in English: Part 3 – Neither… nor

 

Neither nor

“Neither” functions similarly to “either,” but there are a few important differences. “Neither” is used when there are two options, but you choose none of them.

 

“Neither” is a short way of saying: “not you and not you” or “not that and not that.”

 

“Neither” is used with the word “nor” instead of “or.”

Example

“We are neither going to the mall nor to the swimming pool.”

(There are two places we can go to and we are going to none of them.)

 

“Neither of you is going to the swimming pool.”

(There are two people. None of them are going to the swimming pool)

 

Does rejecting two options always replace “or” with “nor.”

You don’t replace “or” with “nor” unless the sentence includes “neither,” even if none of the options are chosen.

 

“We are not going to the mall or the swimming pool.”

Even though none out of the two options are chosen we still don’t replace or with nor.

Important note:

Even though none out of the two options are chosen we still don’t replace “or” with “nor.” We also do not use “neither” when there are more than two options available, just like “either.”

 

Using “Neither” to Talk About Likes and Dislikes

Unlike “either,” “neither” can show whether or not you like something.

 

“I like either apples or onions.”

“This sentence is incorrect and confusing. We usually avoid using "either" with "like" because it doesn’t clearly express which one is liked.”

 

“I can either put apples or onions in the salad.”

This sentence doesn’t tell us how much I like either ingredient — it only shows that I have two options.”

 

“I like apples more than onions.”

This sentence is correct. It clearly compares how much I like one thing compared to another.

 

“I like neither apples nor onions.”

This sentence shows that I reject both apples and onions. But it doesn’t tell us which one I dislike more.

 

Even though “neither” shows that I reject both options, it cannot be used to compare them to each other. I might reject both options but still prefer one over the other.

 

To compare them, I need a different sentence:

“I like apples more than onions.”

Click the following link to go to the next lesson:      

Mastering “Neither… nor” and “Either… or” in English: Part 4 – How to Use Both

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