Both, Either & Neither
A2 · ElementaryDeterminers & QuantifiersBoth, either and neither all talk about a set of exactly two — the difference is whether you mean both of them, just one (your choice), or neither one at all.
What you'll learn
- Both + plural noun/verb: the two together
- Either + singular noun: one of two, your choice
- Neither + singular noun/verb: not one, not the other — already negative
- Agreeing with a negative statement: 'I don't either' / 'Neither can I'
The core idea
Both, either and neither all describe exactly two things or people. Both means the two together. Either means one of the two — it doesn't matter which. Neither means not one and not the other — it's already negative on its own.
Both: the two together
Both takes a plural noun and a plural verb — it's talking about the pair as a unit.
"Both of my parents speak French." — the two of them, together.
"Both books are excellent." — both books, together.
Either: one of two — Neither: not either one
Either takes a singular noun and means 'one of the two, take your pick.' Neither also takes a singular noun, but means the opposite — 'not this one, not that one either' — and it's already negative, so it never pairs with another negative word like not or isn't.
"You can park on either side of the street." — pick one, doesn't matter which.
"Neither answer is correct." — not this one, not that one.
Agreeing with a negative statement
English uses either (not too) to agree with a negative statement using the same word order, and neither with the verb moved in front of the subject as a shorter, more common alternative.
"I don't like coffee. I don't like tea either." — either at the end, same word order.
"'I can't swim.' 'Neither can I.'" — neither, with the auxiliary verb flipped in front of I.
Real English
Watch out
Neither already means 'not,' so adding isn't creates a double negative — English never stacks two negatives like this.
Both always takes a plural noun and a plural verb.
Too agrees with a positive statement; either agrees with a negative one.
Formally, either of takes a singular verb, even though you'll hear 'are' informally.
Real life — Choosing a restaurant
"Do you want to try the Italian place or the Thai place?"
"Honestly, either is fine with me — I like them both."
"Okay, but neither one takes reservations, so we might have to wait."
"That's fine, I don't mind waiting either."
Practice
Exercise 1 · Choose the correct word
___ of my parents speak French.
Exercise 2 · Choose the correct word
You can park on ___ side of the street — both are free today.
Exercise 3 · Choose the correct word
___ answer is correct — they're both wrong.
Exercise 4 · Choose the correct word
Both of the books ___ excellent.
Exercise 5 · Choose the correct word
Neither of the answers ___ correct.
Exercise 6 · Choose the correct word
I don't like coffee. I don't like tea ___.
Exercise 7 · Choose the correct word
"I can't swim." "___ can I."
Exercise 8 · Fix the mistake
Fix the mistake:
Exercise 9 · Complete the sentence
Complete: You can choose ___ color — they're both nice. (one word, meaning 'one of the two, your choice')
Exercise 10 · Complete the sentence
Complete: ___ of us wanted to go first, so we flipped a coin. (one word, meaning 'not one, not the other')
Exercise 11 · Build the sentence
Quick challenge
Five quick questions to check what stuck.
Question 1 / 5
Score: 0/0
___ shoes fit perfectly — I'll take them both.
You learned
- Both + plural noun/verb: the two together.
- Either + singular noun: one of the two, your choice.
- Neither + singular noun/verb: not one, not the other — already negative on its own.
- Never add not/isn't to a sentence with neither — that creates a double negative.
- Agree with a negative statement using either at the end, or neither with the verb flipped in front (Neither can I).
Related grammar lessons
All, Every & Each
Learn the difference between all, every and each — all treats a group as one whole, every generalizes about each member, and each emphasizes individuals one by one.
Enough
Learn how to use enough with nouns, adjectives, and adverbs — and the one word-order rule that trips up almost every learner.
Few and Little
Learn few/a few and little/a little — few and a few for countable nouns, little and a little for uncountable nouns, and how adding 'a' flips the meaning from negative to positive.
No, None & None of
Learn the difference between no (before a noun), none (standing alone), and none of (with a specific group) — plus why English never doubles a negative.