Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Wah How to use Both of, Either of, Neither of.

We use Both of, Either of, Neither of to talk about which of two things or people does something.

1) Both means two of two things.
    I have two children. I love both of them.
    Both of us are having a good time.
    I don't know both of them.
    Are both of you ready to go?
    When I woke up this morning, both of my parents had gone to work.

We can use both after a subject or before a plural noun or object pronoun. 
    We both love the pizza.
    Both students passed the exam.  
    I couldn't decide between them - I liked them both.

2) Either means one or the other.
    Do you want tea or coffee? You can choose either of them.
    There are two pies. You can have either of them.
    You can take the bus or the train to get to town. You can take either of them.
    You may take either of the two books.

3) Neither means not one and not the other of two things.
    Neither of us is late. (No one is late.)
    Neither of them knows what to say. (He doesn't know what to say and she doesn't.)
    Neither of us comes to the party.
    Neither of them speaks Japanese.

Note: 
1.) We use Either and Neither with a singular verb, while Both takes a plural verb.

2.) Don't forget to use the before plural nouns.
    Both of the students love watching TV.
    Either of the students love watching TV.
    Neither of the students love watching TV.

3.) We can use not..either instead of neither.
    I don't like an apple, and I don't like a banana. 
    You can say:
    I don't like either of them.
    I like neither of them. (But it's quite unnatural.)


BothOfTheCars-WahWasabiLeaningEnglishGrammar
If you don't know which one to buy. Why don't you buy both of them?

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