CONTENT
Distributives are words we use to describe how a group of people or things are divided or shared out. Some of the most common distributives in English are both, either, and neither. We use them to refer only to two things or people.
Example
Explanation
Neither coffee shop in my area is good.
Neither is the opposite to both, and is used in the meaning of not one and not the other when referring to two things.
Neither
Rule 1: We use neither before singular nouns in the negative meaning not one and not the other in reference to two things.
Example
Explanation
Neither movie seems interesting to me.
Neither is used before a singular noun movie.
Rule 2: We can use neither alone as a short answer to questions.
Example
Explanation
- Do you like beer more than wine?
- Neither.
In this case, we use neither to reject both options at once.
Rule 3: We must use neither of if it comes before an object pronoun (us, them, etc.) or a plural noun with a determiner (the, those, etc.).
Example
Explanation
Neither of us likes Chinese food.
We use neither of because it comes before an object pronoun us.
Rule 4: We use neither followed by inverted word order neither + auxiliary + subject to express the idea of also not.
Example
Explanation
- I don't like horror movies.
- Neither do I.
We use neither and the inverted word order to agree with a negative statement, i.e, express the idea of also not.
Note: We can also use the construction not … either to express the same idea.
Example
Explanation
- I do not like hot chocolate.
- I do not like hot chocolate either.
Here, we use the construction not ... either to agree with a negative statement, too.
Neither ... nor
Rule 5: We can use neither combined with the word nor to connect two things or people.
Example
Explanation
Neither horrors nor thrillers are my favorite genres.
Here, we use the structure neither ... nor to express that both of these genres are not one's favorite.
Quiz
1/4
Choose the correct answer. Neither (dress) fits me.
0
correct answers.