‘EITHER….OR’ ‘NEITHER….NOR’

‘Either….or’ and ‘Neither….nor’ are known as Correlative Conjunctions in English grammar.  They help to connect two equal grammatical items. Two balanced words, clauses or phrases are systematically connected by Correlative Conjunctions in sentences. We find them similar in length and structure.

• Always used in Affirmative sentences.
• Offers two options between two or more things.
• Means ‘one out of two’.
• Two things are connected structurally.
• Repeated words are avoided in these sentences.

Examples-

We may visit either Australia or England.
Linda can have either tea or coffee.
You may either visit me in office or at home.
Either Smith or Daniel will attend the meeting.
I’m sorry. You can either stay here or leave the job.
The captain will decide either to bowl or bat first.
You decide, either to become a doctor or a teacher.
I shall either come by bus or train.
Either to smoke or not, it’s your own decision.
You can study either Physics or Chemistry.
I take either tea or milk in the morning.
Either my uncle or my aunt will come.
Either he or she will attend the function this evening.
You can do either this or that, not both simultaneously.
She may be either at home or in the office.
Either my mother or my father will accompany me to the station.
She wants either piano or guitar as a gift for her birthday.
Either he speaks the truth or the lies.
Either soup or salad will be served for dinner.
You are either foolish or over-smart, as it seems.
We should either call up or send them email today.
Either John or Peter must have done that.
Give me either juice or buttermilk, it’s very hot.
I don’t like either lemon juice or cold-drink.
They might either be sleeping or watching TV.
We may either go to London or stay right here tomorrow.
You must either study well or fail in the exam.
Either she will come here or I will go there.
Either he or she drives a car to the office.
Either Emma or Elizabeth get married this year.
He will either make breakfast at home or go outside.
Amanda washes clothes either with hands or in the machine.
We watch either news or comedy shows on TV.
I can either sing or dance, but not the both simultaneously.
He seems to be either busy or sulky.
She is either good at heart indeed or pretending to be so.

• Always used in Negative sentences.
• Indicates two negative things.
• Means ‘none out of two’.
• Two things are connected structurally.
• Repeated words are avoided in these sentences.

Examples-

I can neither eat nor drink in this situation.
Emily was neither tired nor bored.
Neither my Mom nor my Dad likes to go there.
Neither Gary nor Amy could attend the ceremony.
You can neither study nor pass the exam.
Neither a tea nor a coffee is good for health .
They decided neither to play football nor rugby.
He speaks neither English nor Spanish.
There was neither TV nor electricity.
We neither clapped nor stood up.
I will have neither coffee nor tea at this moment.
Why did you neither come nor call me up yesterday?
Jane is neither happy nor sad about her married life.
They are neither playing nor studying now.
Neither Joe nor Casey is available to help you today.
It’s neither hot nor cold.
He neither drinks nor smokes.
I can neither speak German nor (can) understand it.
Neither this nor that option is correct.
Neither Peter nor Paul is working in this company at present.
He wanted neither fame nor money, but only true love.
Roger eats neither pork nor meat.
Neither this book nor that book will help me for the exam.
Catherine neither dined nor slept last night.
She has visited neither London nor Singapore.
Neither George nor his wife is very fat.
Neither the employer nor the workers are in the factory.
Neither my friend nor I went to the party yesterday.
Her new dress is neither long nor short, it’s perfectly fitting.
He is neither successful nor a fail completely.
She will neither come nor help you.