Neither nor sentence construction pdf

Focus your attention on the noun closest to the verb. So when severus snape tells harry potter, you are neither special nor important, using neither nor to join two adjectives is fine. It would be incorrect to use an or anywhere in that sentenceor to leave out either case of nor. But if you use neither, then make sure your sentence does not have any other negatives preceding it. Father and mother are singular so the verb has is singular too. A correlative conjunction uses a set of words in a parallel sentence structure to show a contrast or to compare the equal parts of a sentence. With bothand, and neither nor, both subjects do or feel the same way about something.

The rule says the pronoun that is closest to the verb determines the use of the form of the verb. The forms bothand, neithernor, and eitheror are used to introduce two subjects. Connect these sentences using the conjunction in parenthesis. Can you use either or and neither nor with more that two items. Either or used in a sentence in the affirmative sense when referring to a choice between two possibilities. So, neither, nor, either english grammar step by step. He neither attends the class regularly nor learns his lessons.

In the first example, neither molly nor john is the subject of the sentence. Either the father or the mother has to attend the meeting. They are called correlative conjunction because they come in. So your last example with the form wedernochnochnoch doesnt translate directly. Parallel structure, as it applies to the neither nor form, means that both halves of phrase need to match each other in regards to the information being described. If you prefer to use a negative, then you want to use either. Pdf when the elements either, both and neither occur in a coordinate. We use the structure so do iso does my sister in the same way, but to agree with a. I couldnt find the solution and neither could my wife. And you dont usually use both with a negative verb. Neithernor is used when the choice is negative or the person wants to say that more than one thing is not true. Jay had seen neither the snake nor the wasps nest on the next tree, and was. With bothand, and neithernor, both subjects do or feel the same way about something. Jun 01, 2016 in this advanced spoken english lesson, you are going to learn two correlative conjunctions eitheror and neithernor.

I cant find the tool neither in the kitchen nor the bathroom. In the second, neither in general nor in detail is not. A parallel structure, also known as parallelism, refers to a grammatical construction having two or more words, phrases or clauses that are identical in form or length. He either keeps the keys himself or leaves them with his wife. Neither did i take vacation, nor did i ask for sick leave. But they can also be conjunctions correlative, adjectives, determiners, and even adverbs. The correlative conjunctions are not only but also, either or, neither nor, both and, not but, whether or. The hindi equivalent for eitheror is yaya the hindi equivalent for neitheror is. From the american copy editors society a tricky agreement problem. Neither the teacher, nor the students were happy with the chosen solution. While either has a positive connotation, neither holds a negative significance. Correlative conjunctions come in pairs such as eitheror and you have to use both of them in different places in a sentence to make them work. Note that the correlative conjunction pair neither.

This is used to add clarity when making a list or comparing items in a sentence. This property of neither not only corresponds to the properties displayed by either and both, but also to the properties of focus particles in general. He will neither come here nor send a representative. Proper parallel construction of sentences with not. Neither nor used in a sentence in the negative sense when you want to say that two or more things are. Neither my mother, nor my father wants to pay for my holiday. The restaurant doesnt have fish or vegetarian meals on its menu.

Using nor in a list without neither although the classic rule is to use neither and nor together, grammar girl writes. Cgel goes on to note that neither could replace nor in these sentences. In this advanced spoken english lesson, you are going to learn two correlative conjunctions eitheror and neithernor. Combine the following pairs of sentences using eitheror or neithernor. For example, neither the engine nor the fuel tank leaks any fluid. Note how we use the plural word surfers at the end there to keep everything in agreement. Diagramming a sentence using correlative conjunctions allows you to see where parallel structure is needed, because both halves of the correlative conjunction must use the same parts of speech in the same order if they are to present a balanced correlation. These conjunctions connect two balanced clauses, phrases, or words. Most problem children neither like school nor feel. This publication is intended to be neither a legal analysis nor a detailed cookbook of steps to take in every situation. Fill in the blanks with so, nor, neither, but, too, or either.

Have you considered using the word neither in such sentences. The reason i have used a semicolon instead of the coma is because i have comas before the word nor in the first clause. These range from basic negative sentences with a single subject to more complicated sentences with two or more subjects. Therefore, they can write a simple sentence correctly placing the capitals and periods in a sentence which reads the clown juggled. D neither alludes nor specifically describes the methods that the police employs in the fight against crime. 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. However, neither is properly an adverb, so in these sentences it would work better either at the start of a sentence or after a semicolon, whereas nor can begin a sentence or can simply follow a comma. If there is an auxiliary verb in the previous sentence, we use the same verb to agree. Jay had seen neither the snake nor the wasps nest on the next tree, and was preparing to stake his tarp in that lessthansafe location. Neither is a conjunction that works with the correlative conjunction nor to address two like objects or actions. So neither the men nor the woman is a good surfer is correct, as is neither the woman nor the men are good surfers. According to context and to the grammar book you consult, they can be considered as quantifiers, adjectives, pronouns, correlating coordinators or adverbs.

Parallel sentences structure and examples examples. Constructing sentences 7 the simple sentence when we write, a complete thought is called a sentence. For example, if youve just mentioned that you dont usually wake up at 6 a. They never take any chances, andbut nor do they trust anybody, i must say. Complete the sentence with or, nor, eitheror, neithernor or verb agreement. The eighth and largest group, which in its e nor mous numbers was to the others as ninetynine to one, consisted of men who desired neither peace nor war, neither an advance nor a defensive camp at the drissa or anywhere else, neither barclay nor the emperor, neither pfuel nor bennigsen, but only the one most essential thingas much advantage. The sentence should be rewritten as im neither angry nor upset. Neither, neither nor and not either english grammar. If a verb is already in the negative then either or is used and not neither nor. Correlative conjunctions are pairs such as neither.

As always with gmat sentence correction, you should read the sentence as it is and identify grammatical errors first. Grammar lessons either or and neither nor my english pages. Select the response from the list that best completes the sentence. If both elements are singular, then the verb is singular too. Lesson by tristan, english teacher at ec malta english school. Aug 19, 2005 when all the elements in an either or construction or a neither nor construction used as the subject of a sentence are singular, the verb is singular. Neither the queen nor the president was smiling for the cameras.

Jan 21, 2020 the forms bothand, neither nor, and eitheror are used to introduce two subjects. If the point of your question is to confirm the rule that the verb in an eitheror sentence agrees with the subject closest to it, then the answer is yes. Either and neither, singular or plural the editors blog. Neither nor mistakes this rule of parallel construction applies to all the correlative conjunctions. Eitheror and neithernor beware double negatives the pairings eitheror and neithernor can be used to group two people or things. Analogously, when all the elements in the either or construction are plural, the verb is plural too. When neithernor begins a sentence and joins two verbs, the axillary verb precedes the subject. You cannot put nor later in the sentence, because neither here already means nor. Pdf either, both and neither in coordinate structures. The eighth and largest group, which in its enormous numbers was to the others as ninetynine to one, consisted of men who desired neither peace nor war, neither an advance nor a defensive camp at the drissa or anywhere else, neither barclay nor the emperor, neither pfuel nor bennigsen, but only the one most essential thingas much advantage. The two elements that correlative conjunctions connect are usually similar in length and grammatical structure. You need to either use a negative verb cannot, or use neither nor.

We can go to either greece or spain for our holiday. In the case of nouns, this structure is only used with the subject of a sentence. Singularplural when using neither nor constructions. How to use either, neither, nor and or kaplan blog. Home page for english grammar today on cambridge dictionary. This worksheet will help you to practise grammar constructions with conjunctions both. Neither my mother nor my father went to university. It uses the same auxiliary verb as in the previous sentence. Make sure the structure joined with the first word mirrors the structure joined with the second word. Either jacy or myra will help you with your children. Neither selfknowledge, nor knowledge of others, nor knowledge of the external world has conceptual or epistemological priority. The problem is that both, either and neither and in particular both have different functions.

Neither the job as a cashier, which paid only minimum wage, nor the washroom attendants job interested the woman with two phds. Well then, neither peter nor john will be able to come. If there is no auxiliary verb in the previous sentence, we use do. A sentence can have a verb phrase i will go to the bank after work. Anonymoushi i am having a great deal of trouble knowing how to punctuate the following sentence. In a neithernor construction such as this one, when the key verb here, intended applies to nor as well as to neither, the word must precede the first word as well as the second. Neither indicates that the two ideas are linked together. Compare your responses to the feedback by clicking the check or check 110 button. Janes bag wasnt where she had left it, so nor neither but too either was it anywhere else in the house. We can either eat now or after the show its up to you 2.

When you have sentences that take the neither nor construction, the verb that follows should be singular when the alternatives are singular or when the second alternative is singular. If you want to avoid that, consider rewriting the sentence e. When one of the words is used to modify the single subject of a sentence, it takes. However, that is already the second part of the thought, not the first part. A sentence could have both two subjects and two verbs kate and i sang. In a negative sentence, if you equally reject two alternatives, you must use not. When all the elements in an either or construction or a neither nor construction used as the subject of a sentence are singular, the verb is singular. Use neither for negative sentences when you talk about two things or people. Although not a major grammatical error, the grouping of more than two things is frowned upon by followers of some style conventions. Both either, and neither in english and how to use them. The words of correlative conjunctions have a special connection between them. Using the two together, like what that editor did to your post in tex, is incorrect. Neither in general nor in detail do i agree with you. In my opinion, the sentence neither i like you, nor do i like your family should begin with an inversion, like so.

When using eitheror and neither nor, note the following rules. I can find the tool neither in the kitchen nor the bathroom. Neither alice nor peter wants to come to the party. We can either eat now or after the show its up to you. However, using neither nor can sound unduly formal or even a little archaic. Nor either or neither nor use either when you talk about two things or people.

Jun 15, 2017 complete the following pieces of conversation. Neithernor when two subjects are joined by neithernor or eitheror, choosing the right number for the verb can be tricky for writers. She neither drinks nor smokes, not she neither doesnt drink nor smokes. Nor doesnt necessarily have to appear in a sentence with the word neither. These share the same subject, which lies before the neither x nor y construction. She has neither eaten anything nor slept in two days. I cant find the tool either in the kitchen or the bathroom. A sentence must contain a complete subject person, place, or thing and a verb what the subject is doing in order to make sense. You need to either use a negative verb cannot, or use neithernor. Correlative conjunctionsenglish 098grossmont college.

A sentence can also have a subject performing two actions verbs we sang and danced. Use neither in a sentence neither sentence examples. The structure so do i or so am i is used to add to the sentence before. Yes, if you begin a sentence with neither, you must use inversion, as in your first example. After adding a negative idea, we can add another negative idea using the expression neither did i or neither am i. When they act as pronouns either means one or the other while neither indicates not one or the other. E neither alludes to nor specifically describes the methods that the police employ in the fight against crime. This applies equally when neither is in a neithernor construction. For all those instances when either and neither behave like pronouns, the structure of the sentence would be. When they act as pronouns either means one or the other while neither indicates not one or the other both these roads go to rome. Before the polish strikes of 1980, both the hungarians and the czechs tried. Of course, nor is perfectly standard when its part of the correlative conjunction pair neither nor. When either word is used as a pronoun and as the subject of a sentence or clauseand its the only subjectit takes a singular verb. Eitheror and neithernor are correlative conjunctions.