Either/or is used in a sentence in a positive sense. The emphasis in either/or sentences is on the choice.

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• You can either buy an Iphone or a MAC.
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• We can either play snooker or football – it’s up to you.
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In most cases, “either” can be omitted.

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• You can buy an Iphone or a MAC
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• We can play snooker or football – it’s up to you.
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 Neither/nor is used in a sentence in a negative sense where you want to say that two or more things are not true.

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• Neither Shweta nor Nishita went to college. (Shweta didn’t go to college and Nishita didn’t go to college).
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• Neither the teachers nor the students were happy with the Principal. (Teachers as well as students were unhappy with the Principal)
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 If a verb is already giving a negative sense, you use either/or and not neither/nor.

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• I don’t like Tea or Coffee. (Correct)
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• I don’t like neither Tea nor Coffee. (Incorrect)
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When you use neither-nor and either-or, the number of the subject closer to the verb determines whether you use a singular or a plural verb.

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Example: Neither his parents nor he is watching the movie now.

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Here, he is a singular subject and thus the verb used is also singular.

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Example: Either she or her friends need a car for the evening.

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Here, her friends is plural and so the plural form of the verb is used.

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Choose the correct alternative

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• You can neither go by train nor by flight. They both are efficient.
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• You can either go by train or by flight. They both are efficient.
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• I don’t like Pizza or Pasta.
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• I don’t like Pizza nor Pasta.
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Fill in the blanks with either-or/neither-nor

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• In this play, you ______ sing ___ dance. It depends on you.
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• This is my offer. You ____ take it _____ leave it.
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• His boss believed ______ the employee _______ the supervisor. He thought both were lying.
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• You can use _____ this computer _____ the other one. Someone must fix them first.
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Answers:

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Choose the correct alternatives.

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• Since the train and flight both are efficient, choosing either of them would be a good option. Therefore, the second sentence – You can either go by train or by flight – is correct.
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• Here, the sentence already has a negative tone. That is why you cannot use “nor”. The first sentence – I don’t like Pizza or Pasta – is correct.
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Fill in the blanks with either-or/neither-nor

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• In this play, you either sing or dance. It depends on you. (Since both choices depend on you, you can choose to do either one).
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• This is my offer. You either take it or leave it.
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• His boss believed neither the employee nor the supervisor. He thought both were lying.
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• You can use neither this computer nor the other one. Someone must fix them first.
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