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Both, either, neither

B1 · 40 exercises

The rule in short

How to talk about two people or things with both, either and neither, when to add of, how to use the pairs both … and, either … or and neither … nor, and which verb form comes after them.

Word+ noun+ of + the / my / these… or a pronounAloneVerb after it
bothplural: both handsboth (of) the hands, both of usBoth are good.plural
eithersingular: either handeither of the hands, either of usEither is OK.singular
neithersingular: neither handneither of the hands, neither of usNeither is cheap.singular (plural is also heard after of)

In pairs: both … and, either … or, neither … nor.

Of. Before the, my, these and similar words, of is optional after both: both my sisters and both of my sisters are the same. Before a pronoun it is needed: both of them, both of us. Either and neither always need of before the, my or a pronoun: either of the roads, neither of us. The does not go in front of both; it comes after it: both the films.

The verb. Both is always plural: Both of them were tired. Either and neither with a singular noun take a singular verb: Neither answer is right. After neither of + a plural noun or pronoun, careful writing uses a singular verb (Neither of them is ready), but a plural verb is very common in speech (Neither of them are ready). Both are correct.

One negative is enough. Neither is already negative, so the verb after it stays positive: Neither of them came, not didn't come. In a sentence that already has not, use either: I don't know either of them. This means the same as I know neither of them, but the version with not … either is more usual in everyday speech.

Where both goes. As in the table, both can come first: Both my brothers play tennis. It can also come after the subject, in the same place as words like often and never: before the main verb (My brothers both play tennis), but after be and after helper verbs such as have or can (We are both tired, They have both left). It can also come straight after an object pronoun: I invited them both.

The pairs. Both … and, either … or and neither … nor join two words or phrases. The partners are fixed: both goes with and, either with or, neither with nor. With both … and the verb is plural (Both Tom and Anna are coming). With neither … nor and two singular nouns, the verb is normally singular (Neither Tom nor Anna has a car), though a plural verb is also heard in speech.

Either and neither have two common pronunciations each, with the first vowel as in eye or as in see. Both are correct in British and American English.

Neither has a second job as a short reply (I can't swim. — Neither can I.); that is a different pattern, explained in the lesson on so do I and neither do I. To talk about each one of two separately, English also uses one … the other, which the lesson on another and other explains.

Examples

  • Both my sisters live near the sea.
  • We both agree that the holiday was too short.
  • Both of them were late this morning.
  • You can park on either side of the road.
  • I don't know either of his brothers.
  • Neither hotel has a pool, so we chose the cheaper one.
  • Neither of these jackets fits me.
  • Anna speaks both French and Italian.
  • You can pay either by card or in cash.
  • The flat is neither big nor cheap, but it is close to work.

Lesson: “Both, either, neither” (B1), Krumeto · https://krumeto.com/grammar/both-either-neither · written for Krumeto with the help of AI tools · Worksheet: krumeto.com

KrumetoBoth, either, neitherName ____________________

Exercises

A. Choose both, either or neither.

I have two cousins, and ___ of them live in Canada. → both

  1. I have two bikes, but ________ of them works. They are both broken. (both / either / neither)
  2. Anna held the baby carefully in ________ arms. (both / either / neither)
  3. There are two buses to the station, and they stop at the same place. You can take ________ one. (both / either / neither)
  4. I asked Tom and Anna for directions, but ________ of them knew the way, so we used a map. (both / either / neither)
  5. We can meet on Saturday or on Sunday. ________ day is fine for me. (Both / Either / Neither)
  6. My parents ________ speak English, so you can talk to them. (both / either / neither)

B. Write both, either or neither. Add of where it is needed.

Anna lost ___ her gloves. → both or both of

  1. I tried on two pairs of shoes, but ________ them was comfortable.
  2. Anna has two dogs, and ________ her dogs love the sea. They swim every day.
  3. The two chairs are free. You can sit on ________ chair.
  4. ________ us wanted to cook, so we ordered a pizza.
  5. Does ________ your parents speak Spanish? — Yes, my mum does.
  6. We stayed in two different flats on the trip. Sadly, ________ flat had a balcony.

C. Complete the pairs. Write one word: both, either, neither, and, or, nor.

  1. Tom plays both the guitar ________ the piano.
  2. You can either come with us ________ stay at home.
  3. Anna neither smokes ________ drinks coffee.
  4. The test was ________ long nor difficult, so we finished early.
  5. ________ Tom or Anna will meet you at the station.

D. Join or rewrite the sentences with the word in brackets. Keep the meaning.

  1. Tom doesn't eat fish, and Anna doesn't eat fish. (neither)
  2. The kitchen is small, and the bathroom is small too. (both)
  3. You can phone me, or you can send me a message. (either)
  4. I haven't read either of these books. (neither)
  5. I like neither of the two flats. (not … either)
  6. My brother is a nurse. My sister is a nurse too. (both)

E. Put the words in order. Use all the words.

  1. in / small / both / live / my / grandparents / a / village
  2. the / of / neither / friends / knows / answer / my
  3. of / help / you / can / either / me
  4. a / either / or / dog / wants / a / Anna / cat

F. Correct the mistakes. Change only what is wrong. Two of the sentences are already right: keep them as they are.

  1. Neither of my friends didn't call me yesterday.
  2. Both of my cousins lives in the country.
  3. You can choose either the red shirt nor the blue one.
  4. We didn't visit either of the castles.
  5. The both children were asleep when we got home.
  6. Neither of the two shops opens on Sundays.
  7. Anna invited both them to her wedding.

G. Two, or more than two? Choose the right word.

  1. Tom has three brothers, and ________ of them play football. (both / all)
  2. I sent two emails to the hotel, but ________ of them got an answer. (neither / none)
  3. There are five pens on the desk. You can use ________ of them. (either / any)
  4. Anna has two cats. ________ of them are black. (Both / All)
  5. We looked at ten flats, but ________ of them was right for us. (neither / none)
  6. Would you like tea or coffee? — ________ is fine, thanks. (Either / Any)
KrumetoBoth, either, neitherAnswer key

Answer key

A. Both = the one and the other. Either = one or the other, it does not matter which. Neither = not one and not the other. Both takes a plural noun; either and neither take a singular noun.

  1. neither
  2. both
  3. either
  4. neither
  5. Either
  6. both

B. Either and neither need of before the, my, your, these or a pronoun; before a noun on its own there is no of. Both needs of before a pronoun; before the, my… of is optional.

  1. neither of
  2. both / both of
  3. either
  4. Neither of
  5. either of
  6. neither

C. The pairs are fixed: both … and, either … or, neither … nor.

  1. and
  2. or
  3. nor
  4. neither
  5. Either

D. Both X and Y + plural verb. Either X or Y = one or the other. Neither X nor Y + positive verb. Not … either = neither.

  1. Neither Tom nor Anna eats fish. / Neither Tom nor Anna eat fish.
  2. Both the kitchen and the bathroom are small. / The kitchen and the bathroom are both small.
  3. You can either phone me or send me a message. / Either you can phone me or you can send me a message.
  4. I have read neither of these books. / I have read neither of the books.
  5. I don't like either of the two flats. / I don't like either of the flats.
  6. Both my brother and my sister are nurses. / My brother and my sister are both nurses.

E. Both comes before the main verb but after be and helper verbs. Either / neither + of + the / my / a pronoun. Pairs: both … and, either … or, neither … nor.

  1. My grandparents both live in a small village. / Both my grandparents live in a small village.
  2. Neither of my friends knows the answer.
  3. Can either of you help me? / Either of you can help me.
  4. Anna wants either a cat or a dog. / Anna wants either a dog or a cat.

F. One negative word only: neither + positive verb, or not … either. Both + plural verb, never the both, both of + pronoun. Fixed pairs: both … and, either … or, neither … nor.

  1. Neither of my friends called me yesterday. / Yesterday neither of my friends called me. — Neither is already negative: Neither of my friends called me.
  2. Both of my cousins live in the country. / Both my cousins live in the country. — Both is plural, so the verb is live.
  3. You can choose either the red shirt or the blue one. — The partner of either is or.
  4. We didn't visit either of the castles. (✓) — This sentence is right: after not or n't, use either.
  5. Both children were asleep when we got home. / Both the children were asleep when we got home. — The does not come before both: both children, both the children or both of the children.
  6. Neither of the two shops opens on Sundays. (✓) — This sentence is right: after neither of + a plural noun, the singular verb is the careful form. Open is also heard in speech.
  7. Anna invited both of them to her wedding. / Anna invited them both to her wedding. — Before a pronoun, both needs of: both of them. Or put both after the pronoun: them both.

G. For two: both, either, neither. For three or more: all, any, none.

  1. all
  2. neither
  3. any
  4. Both
  5. none
  6. Either

Lesson: “Both, either, neither” (B1), Krumeto · https://krumeto.com/grammar/both-either-neither · written for Krumeto with the help of AI tools · Worksheet: krumeto.com

Both, either, neither — worksheet | Krumeto