Both / both of neither / neither of
either / either of
We use both/neither/either for two things. You can use these words with a noun (both books,
neither book etc.).
For example, you are going out to eat. There are two possible restaurants. You say:
Both restaurants are very good, (not The both restaurants)
Neither restaurant is expensive.
We can go to either restaurant. I don't mind.
(either = one or the other, It doesn't matter which one)
You can also use both/neither/either alone, without a noun:
I couldn't decide which of the two shirts to buy. I liked both, [or I liked both of them.)
‘Is your friend British or American?' ‘Neither. She's Australian.'
'Do you want tea or coffee?' ‘Either. I don't mind.’
Both of ... / neither of ... / either of ...
We use both of / neither of / either of +the/these/my/Tom's ... etc. So we say 'both of the
restaurants', 'both of those restaurants' etc. [but not both of restaurants):
Both of these restaurants are very good.
Neither of the restaurants we went to was (or were) expensive.
I haven't been to either of those restaurants. (= I haven’t been to one or the other)
You don't need of after both. So you can say:
Both my parents are from Egypt, or Both of my parents ...
You can use both of / neither of / either of + us/you/them:
(talking to two people) Can either of you speak Russian?
I asked two people the way to the station, but neither of them could help me.
You must say ‘both of' before us/you/them:
Both of us were very tired, (not Both us were ...)
After neither of ... a singular or a plural verb is possible:
Neither of the children wants (or want) to go to bed.
You can say:
both ... and ... Both Chris and Paul were Late.
I was both tired and hungry when I arrived home.
n eith e r... nor Neither Chris nor Paul came to the party.
There was an accident in the street where we live, but we neither saw
nor heard anything.
either ... or ... i'm not sure where Maria’s from, She’s either Spanish or Italian.
Either you apoLogise, or I'll never speak to you again.
Compare either/neither/both (two things) and any/none/all (more than two):
There are two good hotels here. There are many good hotels here.
You could stay at either of them. You could stay at any of them.
We tried tw o hotels. We tried a lot of hotels.
| Neither of them had any rooms. None of them had any rooms.
1 Both of them were full. All of them were full.
_____________________________________________________ ___ ________ ______ __________ ________________________ ___________
Neither do I / 1don't either Unit 51C Both of whom / neither of which -> Unit 96B
178 Both -> Unit 110D
Exercises
Complete the sentences with both/neither/either.
1 'Do you want tea or coffee?' 1 tiiH.er . I reaLly don't mind.1
2 ‘What day is it today - the 18th or the 19th?' 1 .................... It's the 20th.'
3 a : Where did you go on your trip - Korea or Japan?
b: We went t o .......................... A week in Korea and a week in Japan.
4 ‘Shall we sit in the corner or by the window?' 1 ................... I don't mind.'
5 ‘Where's Lisa? Is she at work or at home?' ' She'sawayonholiday.'
Complete the sentences with both/neither/either. Use of where necessary.
1 Both my parents are from London.
2To get to the town centre, you can go along the footpath by the river or you can go along the
road. You can go way.
3 ! tried twice to phone Carl, but times he was out.
4 Tom's parents is English. His father is Polish and his mother is Italian.
5 Isaw an accident this morning. One car drove into the back of another. Fortunately
driver was injured, but ... cars were badly damaged.
6 I've got two sisters and a brother. My brother is working, but my sisters are
still at school.
Complete the sentences with both/neither/either + of us / of them.
1 I asked two people the way to the station, but neither of therm, could help me.
2 I was invited to two parties last week, but i couldn't go to .............
3 There were two windows in the room. It was very warm, so I opened
4 Sarah and I play tennis together regularly, but we're not very good,
can play very well.
5 I tried two bookshops for the book I wanted, but had it.
Write sentences with both ... and ... / neither ... nor ... / either ... or ... .
1 Chris was late. So was Pat. Both Chris and P at were Late.:..................
2 He didn't say hello, and he didn’t smile. He neither sakt hello nor smiled.
3 Joe is on holiday and so is Sam.
4 Joe doesn't have a car. Sam doesn't have one either,
5 Brian doesn’t watch TV and he doesn't read newspapers.
6 It was a boring movie. It was long too.
The movie.......................................................................................................
7 Is that man's name Richard? Or is it Robert? It's one of the two.
That man's name ............................ ................................................
8 I haven't got time to go on holiday. And I don't have the money.
I have .............................................................................................
9 We can leave today or we can leave tomorrow - whichever you prefer.
We ...............................................................................................
Complete the sentences with neither/either/none/any.
1 We tried a lot of hotels, but none of them had any rooms.
2 I took two books with me on holiday, but I didn't read of them.
3 I took five books with me on holiday, but I didn't read of them.
4 There are a few shops at the end of the street, but of them selLs newspapers.
5 You can phone me at ...... time during the evening. I'm always at home.
6 I can meet you next Monday or Friday. Would of those days suit you?
7 John and I couldn't get into the house because of us had a key.
