Her desi upbringing combined with her islamic morals, seem to be at odds with everything around her. In this second condition, readers might be bothered by a plural subject being followed by a singular verb. Either and neither can be used in a few different ways, and to mean a few different things. Neither is used as a determiner before a single noun. Sep 12, 2015 neither the jockeys nor the horses have ever raced on that particular track. I would suggest you replace proper with typical, as all the sentences are grammatical and understandable. Neither of the boys were in the library just now or neither of the boys was in the library just now. Although she was born in the usa, fatima isnt quite sure if she completely belongs. Basic english grammar rules your must know hbr ascend.
We use a singular verb with neither and neither of. Either and neither, singular or plural the editors blog. Both john and fred dont like doing the dishes i want neither the red shirt nor the blue shirt. The type neither nor nor clearly falls within the bounds of legitimacy. But if you use neither, then make sure your sentence does not have any other negatives preceding it. Some of the dessert was left by the end of the birthday party. This is just as true with neithernor as it is with eitheror neither the russians nor the americans were ready to talk is perfectly correct, but so is neither a british flag nor an american one flies above the pole. Last week, my mother emailed to ask if she was using the word nor correctly, which brings me to todays post. Apr 16, 2010 neither this nor that by aliya husain fatima is a young american muslim whose parents immigrated to the us from india in the 1970s. Jun 14, 2009 get out your grammar books folks youre on the wrong track.
She has neither eaten anything nor slept in two days. Apr 25, 2020 incorrect every boy and girl were ready. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing quick. English grammar books pdf free download mynotesadda. Neithernor is used when the choice is negative or the person wants to say that more than one thing is not true. If you prefer to use a negative, then you want to use either. Either and neither are singular either and neither are singular concepts. My mother seems to appreciate having a grammar lover in the family. Get the grammar girls take on correctly using nor in a sentence. Neither this nor that by aliya husain fatima is a young american muslim whose parents immigrated to the us from india in the 1970s. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Note how we use the plural word surfers at the end there to keep everything in agreement.
Both, the two, neither, none, allboth my parents are both from paris. Apr 28, 2020 there are pages upon pages of articles and advice on grammar, many of which contain some of the worst grammar mistakes, a clear indication that such resources are neither reliable nor credible. So when you choose your resources, choose wisely and make sure the authors are reputable and in a position to be postulating about grammar. Confusing grammar neithernor, eitheror, etc person of. You can head off potential problems by putting the plural subject second and using a plural verb. The grammar girl podcast has also won best education podcast multiple times in the podcast awards, and mignon is an inductee in the podcasting hall of fame. For each of the following, choose the correct sentence. Either, neither, both examples, how to use speakspeak. Some of the desserts was left by the end of the birthday party. It should be neither of the boys was in the library just now. Neither wolf nor dog takes readers to the heart of the native american experience. Doesnt is a contraction of does not and should be used only with a singular subject.
Both nouns, both verbs same tense, both prepositional phrases, both independent clausesmake them. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing and six other books on writing. So neither the men nor the woman is a good surfer is correct, as is neither the woman nor the men are good surfers. There were neither cakes nor icecream at the party. The verb in an or, eitheror, or neithernor sentence agrees with the noun or pronoun closest to it examples. The verb following a collective noun has nothing to do with whats assumed rto be unspoken or unwritten in the sentence. You may have neither strawberry nor chocolate cake. Neither the jockeys nor the horses have ever raced on that particular track.
Neither the lawyer nor the detectives are able to follow the sequence of events. A singular subject she, bill, car takes a singular verb is, goes, shines, whereas a plural subject takes a plural verb. Neither the plates nor the serving bowl goes on that shelf. Neither can be singular or plural, depending on what it refers to. Maven, who inspires terror in the untrained and is neither friendly nor helpful. When a compound subject contains both a singular and a plural noun or pronoun joined by or or nor, the verb should agree with the part of the subject that is nearer the verb. Neither the teachers nor the administration are being reasonable in these negotiations. While either has a positive connotation, neither holds a negative significance. If both elements are singular, then the verb is singular too. When used as an adjective either means one or the other of two people or things, and neither means not one or the other of two people or things. Neither indicates that the two ideas are linked together. Understanding either or and neither nor daily writing tips.
The word either can be a pronoun or an adjective more specifically, a determiner, which is a kind of adjective. Aug 01, 2014 neither is a singular adjective and can be paired with nor in a sentence. Jay had seen neither the snake nor the wasps nest on the next tree, and was. Some desserts was left by the end of the birthday party. If you know that list is the subject, then you will choose is for the verb. If you have a neither x nor y situation, where one noun is plural and one is singular, the verb must match up with the noun that is closest to it. See more ideas about grammar, grammar and punctuation and words.
I am by no stretch of the imagination a grammarian nor do i have the intention of becoming one, but i do want. For example, incorrect neither he nor i were there. He will neither come here nor send a representative. By the way, it is equally correct to say bad grammar. Style manual, and the ap stylebook are just a few of the style guides that recommend one. A conjunction and a coordinating conjunction differ in that a conjunction joins grammatically alike subclausal elements, whereas a coordinating conjunction joins grammatically alike clausal elements.
Its a world of indian towns, white roadside cafes, and abandoned roads that swirl with the memories of the ghost dance and sitting bull. What is the difference between neither and either, and how. For christmas one year, she even bought me the book i judge you when you use poor grammar. Check your spelling past simple or present perfect although in spite of despite again back for and its use. Nor doesnt necessarily have to appear in a sentence with the word neither.
The grammar girl podcast has also won best education podcast multiple. The word neither can also be a determiner or a pronoun. Get out your grammar books folks youre on the wrong track. Learn these 12 english grammar rules for writing seemlessly. Simply paste or write your text below and click check my writing to get feedback on your writing.
Eitheror neithernor either or used when referring to a choice between two possibilities. Neither the serving bowl nor the plates go on that shelf this rule can lead to bumps in the road. If youre presenting two alternatives, youll often use an either or or a neither nor. All subjects preceded by each and every take a singular verb each cd is mine. Rules to solve spot the error english questions part 1.
Mignon is the author of the new york times bestseller grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing and six other books on writing. Match the verb to the closest subject neither the boys nor the girl is. The three mostused conjunctions are and, or, and but conjunctions can join words together, like in this sentence. Eitheror and neithernor beware double negatives the pairings eitheror and neithernor can be used to group two people or things. He either keeps the keys himself or leaves them with his wife. Two or more singular subjects connected by or, nor, either or, neither. Either or used in a sentence in the affirmative sense when referring to a choice between two possibilities. Search the worlds most comprehensive index of fulltext books. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing is a fun and accessible book packed with grammar tips and geared toward writers. Im not very good in grammar but this really confuses me. Here, lawyer is singular, but detectives is plural. Confusing grammar neither nor, eitheror, etc person of verb. Mignon fogarty is the founder of the quick and dirty tips network and creator of grammar girl, which has been named one of writers digests 101 best websites for writers multiple times.
This is just as true with neithernor as it is with eitheror. As the story unfolds, dan speaks eloquently on the difference between land and property, the power of silence, and the selling of sacred ceremonies. None is a collective noun and is not short for not one. Neither, neither nor and not either english grammar.
A conjunction is a word that joins together words, phrases, or parts of sentences. How to use either, neither, nor and or kaplan blog. Either the boys or the girls have hidden the sweets. Grammar girl, mignon fogarty, says you must use it, and often. Fatima is a young american muslim whose parents immigrated to the us from india in the 1970s. In this 1996 minnesota book award winner, kent nerburn draws the reader deep into the world of an indian elder known only as dan. When using neither in a sentence, you are saying not the first object and not the second object are behaving in a certain way. When two subjects are joined by or nor and one of the subject is singular and other is plural, then the verb is plural and plural subject is placed before verb. Neither nor used in a sentence in the negative sense when you want to say that two or more things are not true. Here youll find current best sellers in books, new releases in books, deals in books, kindle ebooks, audible audiobooks, and so much more. Disjunction in the subject formally takes a verb that agrees in the number with whichever element is closest to the verb. For example, you might say, i like neither hot dogs nor mustard. He is the author of many books on writing, including the hbr guide to better business writing and the. Although not a major grammatical error, the grouping of more than two things is frowned upon by followers of some style conventions.
I will choose one of the two options i will eat neither chicken nor fish tonight. Either orneither nor other english exercises on the same topic. The verb following a collective noun has nothing to do with whats assumed rto. Some of the dessert were left by the end of the birthday party. When the correlative conjunctions eitheror or neithernor frame alternatives in the singular, the verb is. Id like five peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, please conjunctions can also. Ten grammar rules every writer should know writing forward. The forms bothand, and eitheror can also be used as objects. Home page for english grammar today on cambridge dictionary. We can either eat now or after the show its up to you 2. Jan 01, 2010 so neither the men nor the woman is a good surfer is correct, as is neither the woman nor the men are good surfers. Jan 21, 2020 neither frank nor lilly lives in eugene.
Grammar girl wasnt very helpful with these subjectcomplement agreement sentences. Neither prince nor malloy were wearing seatbelts, according to the accident report. For example, if i is one of two or more subjects, it could lead to this odd sentence. How to use either, neither, or, and nor correctly the write practice. Either and neither, without their partners or and nor, always take a singular verb either of the apples is. Grammar mastery test the blue book of grammar and punctuation. When using eitheror and neither nor, note the following rules.
Here are two explanations of using eitheror and neithernor taken form different sources. With our correlative conjunctionseitheror, neithernor, not onlybut alsowhat follows each part of the correlative pair must be parallel. She has appeared as a guest on the oprah winfrey show and the today show and has been featured in the new york times, business week, the washington post, usa today, and more. But the comment that receives the heartiest agreement concerns neither the war, nor the earthquake, nor the crime rate. We dont wear the same clothes, nor eat the same food. A subject will come before a phrase beginning with of. Neither my mother nor my father went to university. Dec 25, 2019 complete english grammar books pdf free download today, we are sharing a free pdf of complete english grammar books pdf free download. Neither is used with nor to indicate two or more people, things, actions, etc. This english grammar book pdf is very useful for the upcoming competitive exams like ssc cgl, bank, railways, rrb ntpc, lic aao, and many other exams. Incorrect neither the boys nor the girl was in the ground.
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