Both, Either, Neither

Both means “the two,” and both … and emphasizes two facts: Both Anna and Max work here — “Anna and Max both work here.” Learn when of is needed and how to make the verb agree with the subject.

Published October 3, 2026

Both … and: both one and the other

What both means

Both refers to two people or two things TOGETHER, as one pair. It does not express a choice between two (that choice is expressed by either), and it does not express a negative statement about both at the same time (that is expressed by neither).

Both by itself says nothing about feelings or evaluation—it only indicates that the statement concerns exactly two things or people taken together.

Both my brothers live in Kyiv.

Both states a fact about the two brothers together, not about just one of them.

I've read both books this month.

Both books means the two books as a pair, not a choice of one of them.

Both explanations make sense to me.

Unlike “either explanation makes sense” (any one of the two explanations makes sense), here BOTH explanations make sense.

Both + noun without of

When a bare plural noun follows both—with no the, this, my, or another determiner—of is not used at all.

How to build it

Both + plural noun (without a determiner, without of)

noun: A word naming a person, thing or idea: student, book, happiness.
determiner: A word before a noun that helps identify it: a, the, my, this, some.

Both cats sleep most of the day.

Cats is a bare plural noun, so use simply both, without of.

Both restaurants serve good coffee.

Restaurants also appears without a determiner—the form is the same.

Both children go to the same school.

Children is a plural noun without a determiner; of would be incorrect here.

Both (of) + determiner or possessive

When a determiner (the, these, those) or a possessive determiner (my, his, our...) comes before a specific noun after both, of may be included or omitted—the meaning does not change.

How to build it

Both (of) + the/these/those/my/his/... + noun

noun: A word naming a person, thing or idea: student, book, happiness.

Both my sisters study medicine.

Both comes before the possessive my without of—this is the form without the preposition.

Both of my sisters study medicine.

The meaning and the subject are the same; only of has been added—both versions are correct.

Both of those restaurants are closed on Mondays.

Those is a demonstrative determiner, and of is also optional here: “both those restaurants” is also possible.

Both of + pronoun; both after the subject

Before an object pronoun (them, us, you), of is required: you cannot say “both them” or “both us.”

After a subject pronoun, both is used without of: they both, we both, you both; them both is also possible as an object. Both refers to two people or things, so I both without a second participant does not mean “we both.” With be, the usual order is They are both ready; with an auxiliary, it is They have both arrived.

How to build it

Both of + them/us/you | subject pronoun + both

subject / S: The grammatical subject: who or what the clause is about; the verb agrees with it. In The book was written, the book is the subject, although someone else does the action.
pronoun: A word used instead of naming a person or thing: I, you, she, it, they.

Both of them work at the same hospital.

Them is an object pronoun, so of is required.

They both work at the same hospital.

The meaning is the same, but both comes after the subject they, and of is omitted.

I invited both of you to the meeting.

You is also an object pronoun here, so of is needed.

Both ... and: joining two elements

Both ... and joins exactly two elements in one statement: both comes immediately before the first element, and comes before the second.

The simplest combinations use parallel parts: two nouns, two adjectives, or two verb phrases. Each part must fit the shared part of the sentence: is both affordable and comfortable.

How to build it

both + element A + and + element B (A and B have the same form)

Both my brother and my sister live abroad.

Both joins two subjects (two possessive noun phrases) into one compound subject.

The hotel is both affordable and comfortable.

Both elements are adjectives with the same form.

He both fixed the shelf and painted the door.

Both elements are verb phrases with the same subject, he.

When the subject refers to two, use the plural

If both or both … and forms the subject and refers to two participants, the verb must be plural: Both are ready; Both Ana and Leo are ready. If both … and joins adjectives or actions of one subject, that subject determines the number: The hotel is both affordable and comfortable.

How to build it

both / both of + plural group → are / were / work; both A and B as two subjects → plural

Both the manager and the assistant are attending the meeting.

Each subject is singular on its own, but the compound subject both ... and always takes a plural verb: are.

Both of the windows were open all night.

Both of + a plural noun takes a plural verb too.

Both students are ready.

A bare plural noun with both again takes a plural verb.

Boundaries: both / either / neither

Both refers to the two together, either refers to any one of the two, and neither refers to not one of the two. Before a noun, the forms are different: both answers, but either answer and neither answer. With of: both/either/neither of the answers.

Both can emphasize different parts of a phrase: in both Rome and Florence joins the city names, while both in Rome and in Florence joins two groups beginning with in. Both versions are grammatical; choose the one that clearly expresses the intended relationship.

Both answers are acceptable here.

Both = a fact about both answers together.

Either answer is acceptable here.

Either = a choice of one of the two, not both at once.

Neither answer is acceptable here.

Neither = a negative statement about both answers at the same time—this is a different rule in this topic.

Common mistakes

Incorrect:Both of students are ready for the exam.

Correct:Both students are ready for the exam.

Of is not placed directly before a bare plural noun without a determiner; students appears without the/my, etc., so of is unnecessary.

Incorrect:Both them love spicy food.

Correct:Both of them love spicy food.

Before the object pronoun them, of is required: both cannot stand directly before the pronoun without it.

Incorrect:Both the manager and the intern is coming to the training.

Correct:Both the manager and the intern are coming to the training.

Both ... and always gives the compound subject a plural verb, even when each subject is singular on its own.

Incorrect:Both my colleague or my manager approved the request.

Correct:Both my colleague and my manager approved the request.

Both is used only with the conjunction and; or is confused here with the structure either ... or.

Incorrect:He enjoys both cooking or gardening.

Correct:He enjoys both cooking and gardening.

In the pair both … and, the second conjunction must be and. Cooking and gardening are two -ing forms after enjoys.

Sources

Either … or: one option or another

What either … or means

In the basic model, we combine two alternatives with either … or: either introduces the first, and or introduces the second. These can be things, attributes, actions, or entire clauses.

The sentence presents potential options. Whether they are mutually exclusive depends on the meaning: we usually choose one dress color from two, but an invitation to call or write does not necessarily forbid you from doing both.

How to build it

either + option A + or + option B

For lunch today, either the soup or the sandwich sounds good to me.

Both options are noun phrases; either stands directly before the first one.

We could paint the fence either grey or dark green.

Color adjectives also form an acceptable pair of options for either … or.

You could either take the early train or wait for the next one.

Two actions of the same subject you are combined: take and wait follow could.

Where to place either and or

The clearest order for learning is: shared subject and auxiliary verb, then either before the first action and or before the second: She will either call or write.

When connecting subjects or full clauses, either can start the sentence: Either Maria or her assistant will help. In natural speech, the position of either can be more flexible; not every shift is an error.

The position of either sometimes shifts slightly between neighboring words without changing the meaning (e.g., before an entire prepositional phrase or only before a noun within it)—both options remain natural, as long as or introduces the second option in the same form.

Maria will either call you tonight or send a message tomorrow.

Either stands after the shared subject and auxiliary verb will, before the first verb phrase.

Either Maria or her assistant will handle your request.

Here, the options are the subjects themselves, so either stands at the beginning of the sentence.

Either the printer is broken, or someone forgot to switch it on.

Both options are full sentences (subject and predicate), so either begins the first one.

Parallel structure

Both parts after either and or must fit the shared sentence structure. A convenient model is two nouns, two verb phrases, two adjectives, or two parts with their own subjects and verbs.

The most common mistake is to combine a verb phrase with a gerund or a full subject. It is easy to check: mentally read each option separately, inserting it into the main part of the sentence.

The museum is open either on weekdays or on public holidays.

Both options are identical prepositional phrases with on.

You can either renew your membership online or visit the front desk.

Both options are verb phrases with the verb in its base form after can.

Verb agreement when either … or connects subjects

When either … or connects subjects, in academic and formal writing, agree the verb with the one closer: Either the landlord or the tenants pay. If combining different numbers sounds awkward, you can reorder the options or reconstruct the sentence.

This is easy to check by ear: mentally cover the first subject and see if the verb agrees with the one remaining.

How to build it

either + subject A + or + subject B (closer) + verb, agreed with subject B

subject / S: The grammatical subject: who or what the clause is about; the verb agrees with it. In The book was written, the book is the subject, although someone else does the action.
verb / V: A word for an action or state, such as work or be. The pattern determines its form.

Either the tenants or the landlord pays for the repair.

The closer subject is the landlord (singular), so the verb pays is also in the singular.

Either the landlord or the tenants pay for the repair.

Now the closer subject is the tenants (plural), so the verb pay is in the plural.

Comma between parts

When either … or connects two short parts within a single sentence (two nouns, two verb phrases), a comma is not needed.

When either … or connects two full clauses (each with its own subject and predicate), a comma is usually placed before or—this helps the reader see the boundary between the two option-sentences.

We can meet either at my place or at the office.

A short pair of prepositional phrases—no comma is needed before or.

Either you send the confirmation today, or the booking will be cancelled automatically.

Two full clauses—the comma before or marks the boundary between them.

Functions in speech: choice, warning, question

Most often, either … or simply offers a neutral choice between two acceptable options: both are suitable, and the decision is up to the listener.

The same construction often conveys a warning or a condition with a consequence: the first option is the desired action, and the second is the unwanted result if the first does not happen.

Either … or also naturally fits into a question or offer when the speaker names two options and expects a response.

You can pay either now or at checkout — it's up to you.

Neutral choice: both options are acceptable.

Either you turn down the music, or I'm calling building security.

Warning: the second option is an unwanted consequence if the first does not occur.

Could we sit either in the shade or indoors?

Asking whether one of the suggested places is possible. For a direct choice, you can say 'Would you rather sit in the shade or indoors?'

Limits: number of options and related constructions

In this lesson, we are practicing the basic pair of two options. A longer list is often most easily formatted with a simple or before the last item: cake, ice cream, or fruit.

Either … or also occurs with longer lists. The mere fact that a third option is present should not be marked as a grammatical error.

Do not confuse either … or with related pairs: both … and adds both facts at once, and neither … nor negates both at once. These two pairs have their own grammar and are not included here.

Separately, there is the independent word either without or (e.g., in short answers like 'Either is fine' or in the sentence 'I don't like it either')—this is a different construction with its own grammar, not covered here.

For the team lunch we can order either pizza or salad.

Exactly two options—a pure form of the construction.

For the team lunch we can order pizza, salad, or sandwiches.

A simple way to list three options—commas and or before the last one.

Common mistakes

Incorrect:She will either calls the plumber or fixes the leak herself.

Correct:She will either call the plumber or fix the leak herself.

After the shared will, both actions must have the base form: call and fix.

Incorrect:For dessert we can order either cake nor fruit.

Correct:For dessert we can order either cake or fruit.

Either is paired with or. Nor belongs to the negative pair neither … nor.

Incorrect:Either you send the invoice now and I will call the client myself.

Correct:Either you send the invoice now, or I will call the client myself.

The second part of the either … or pair is always introduced by or, not and; the conjunction and does not show a choice between two options.

Incorrect:You can either bring your own laptop or borrowing one from the office.

Correct:You can either bring your own laptop or borrow one from the office.

Both options after either / or must have the same grammatical form; here the first is a verb phrase with the base form (bring), so the second must also be a base form (borrow), not a gerund (borrowing).

Incorrect:Either the manager or the assistants is available this afternoon.

Correct:Either the manager or the assistants are available this afternoon.

When either … or connects two subjects, the verb agrees with the subject closer to it; here the closer subject the assistants is plural, so the verb are is required.

Sources

Neither … nor: not one and not the other

What neither ... nor means

In a basic neither … nor pair, the statement applies to neither the first nor the second alternative. For example, Neither Ana nor Leo came means that Ana did not come and Leo did not come. Nor can be repeated in longer lists.

The pair itself expresses “not one and not the other”, so a sentence with neither ... nor does not need separate negation on the verb: these two words already convey it.

How to build it

neither + alternative A + nor + alternative B

Neither the hotel nor the hostel had a room free for Friday night.

The two alternatives, the hotel and the hostel, form the subject; neither had an available room.

I like neither loud parties nor long meetings.

Both alternatives are noun phrases functioning as objects after the shared subject I and verb like.

Neither Liam nor his flatmate cooks during the week.

The action is negated for both people: neither cooks on weekdays.

No extra negation

Neither is already a negative word: it means “not this one and not that one”. The verb after neither ... nor therefore stays in its ordinary affirmative form, without not, n't, don't, doesn't, or another negative.

For the ordinary meaning that neither person does something, standard English does not add another not: Neither of them likes it. Combining negatives can produce a different meaning or belong to a dialect; here we practise the simple standard pattern.

Neither the printer nor the scanner works properly today.

Works has its ordinary affirmative form, with no separate negative attached to the verb.

Neither Anna nor her sister was late for the meeting.

Was is affirmative in form; neither and nor carry all the negative meaning.

Neither Marco nor his brother can swim.

The modal can also stays affirmative; can't would add unnecessary negation for the intended meaning here.

Where neither and nor go

Neither goes directly before the first alternative, and nor before the second. If both alternatives form the sentence's subject, neither begins the sentence because that is where the first alternative starts.

If the subject or auxiliary is shared by both alternatives, neither follows the shared part and comes directly before the element that distinguishes the alternatives.

How to build it

neither + alternative A + nor + alternative B (alternatives = two subjects or two smaller parallel parts of one sentence)

You can neither call nor text him after nine.

The subject you and auxiliary can are shared by both alternatives; neither follows them, before the first verb phrase.

Neither the manager nor her assistant answered the phone.

The alternatives are the subjects themselves, the manager and her assistant, so neither begins the sentence.

The museum is neither open on Mondays nor free for children under six.

The subject the museum and verb is are shared; neither comes before the first adjective phrase.

Parallel structure

It is clearest to join parallel elements that each fit the shared opening: I enjoy neither hiking nor swimming. Both -ing forms depend on enjoy.

A simple way to check parallelism is to mentally read each alternative separately with the shared part of the sentence and compare their grammatical forms.

The offer is neither generous nor realistic.

Both alternatives are adjectives: generous and realistic.

She neither called the office nor sent an email.

Both alternatives are verb phrases in the same past-tense form.

We found neither a taxi nor a bus at that hour.

Both alternatives are noun phrases with the indefinite article a.

Verb agreement when neither ... nor joins subjects

In learning contexts and formal writing, when neither … nor joins subjects of different numbers, agreeing the verb with the nearer subject is a useful guideline. Actual usage varies, so rephrase if necessary to avoid an awkward combination.

This is easy to check: mentally remove the first subject and see whether the verb naturally agrees with the remaining one.

How to build it

neither + subject A + nor + subject B (nearer) + verb agreeing with subject B

subject / S: The grammatical subject: who or what the clause is about; the verb agrees with it. In The book was written, the book is the subject, although someone else does the action.
verb / V: A word for an action or state, such as work or be. The pattern determines its form.

Neither the coach nor the players were happy with the result.

The nearer subject is the plural the players, so the verb were is plural too.

Neither the players nor the coach was happy with the result.

Now the nearer subject is the singular the coach, so the verb was is singular.

Neither ... nor and related constructions

Both … and emphasises both facts, either … or presents alternatives, and neither … nor negates the named alternatives. Choose according to the intended meaning.

These three constructions are easy to confuse precisely because they are grammatically similar: the correct choice depends on the meaning to convey, not simply the sentence structure.

Both the manager and her assistant confirmed the order.

Both ... and states that both actions actually occurred.

You can pay either by card or in cash.

Either … or presents two available payment methods; whether they can be combined depends on the payment rules, not the conjunction itself.

The manager confirmed neither the order nor the delivery date.

Neither ... nor negates both facts at once, unlike the previous two examples.

When one neither ... nor sentence sounds more natural

Two separate negative sentences, or statements with not ... either, can naturally be combined into one neither ... nor sentence when both facts concern the same pair of alternatives. The meaning stays the same, but the sentence becomes more concise and slightly more formal in tone.

This can be useful in writing or a short message. Two separate sentences are also correct and sometimes easier to follow.

The plan saves neither time nor money.

This is a more concise version of the same meaning as two separate sentences: The plan doesn't save time. It doesn't save money either.

Ivy has visited neither Rome nor Venice.

This has the same meaning as Ivy hasn't visited Rome. She hasn't visited Venice either, but in one sentence.

Common mistakes

Incorrect:Neither Tom nor his sister doesn't like broccoli.

Correct:Neither Tom nor his sister likes broccoli.

To say that neither person likes broccoli, use neither … nor and likes without doesn’t. Additional negation does not convey the intended meaning here.

Incorrect:Neither the fridge nor the oven isn't working.

Correct:Neither the fridge nor the oven is working.

To negate the operation of both appliances, neither … nor + is working is enough. Is agrees with the nearer subject the oven.

Incorrect:Neither the coach nor the players was happy.

Correct:Neither the coach nor the players were happy.

In this pattern, the nearer subject players is plural, so use were in instructional writing.

Incorrect:Marta enjoys neither hiking nor to swim.

Correct:Marta enjoys neither hiking nor swimming.

After enjoys, both named activities take an -ing form: hiking and swimming.

Incorrect:The shop is neither open today or open tomorrow.

Correct:The shop is neither open today nor open tomorrow.

To negate both alternatives, pair neither with nor, not or.

Incorrect:I neither want tea or coffee.

Correct:I want neither tea nor coffee.

The negative pair requires nor. I want neither tea nor coffee clearly joins tea and coffee after the shared want.

Sources

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