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 talking about going out to eat this evening. There are two restaurants where you can go.
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)
Both of .../neither of .../either of ...
When you use both/neither/either + of, you always need the .../these/those .../my/your/his/
Tom's... (etc.). You cannot say 'both of restaurants'. You have to say 'both of the restaurants', 'both of those restaurants' etc.:
* 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 London. 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 Spanish?
* I asked two people the way to the station but neither of them knew.
You must say 'both of' before us/you/them (of is necessary):
* 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 also use both/neither/either alone:
* 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.'
You can say:
both ... and ...: * Both Ann and Tom were late.
* I was both tired and hungry when I arrived home.
neither ... nor ...: * Neither Liz nor Robin came to the party.
* She said she would contact me but she neither wrote nor phoned.
either ... or ...: * I'm not sure where he's from. He's either Spanish or Italian.
* Either you apologize 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 in the town.
You can stay at either of them.
* We tried two hotels. Neither of them had any rooms./Both of them were full.
* There are many good hotels in the town. You can stay at any of them.
* We tried a lot of hotels. None of them had any rooms./All of them were full.
EXERCISES
88.1 Complete the sentences with both/neither/either.
1. 'Do you want tea or coffee?' '_Either._ of them I really don't mind.'
2. 'What day is it today--the I 8th or the 19th? '---. It's the 20th.'
3. 'There are two sandwiches here. Do you mind which I take?' 'No, take ---.'
4. A: Where did you go for your holidays - Scotland or Ireland?
B: We went to --- A week in Scotland and a week in Ireland.
5. 'When shall I phone you, morning or afternoon? '---. I'll be in all day.'
6. 'Where's Kate? Is she at work or at home?' '---. She's away on holiday.'
88,2 Complete the sentences with both/neither/either. Use of where necessary.
1. _Both (of)_ my parents are from London.
2. To 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. I tried twice to phone George but --- times he was out.
4. --- Tom's parents is English. His father is Polish and his mother is Italian.
5. I saw an accident this morning. One car drove into the back of another. Fortunately --- driver was injured but - -- cars were quite badly damaged.
6. I've got two sisters and a brother. My brother is working but --- my sisters are still at school.
88.3 Complete the sentences with both/neither/either of us/them.
1. I asked two people the way to the station but _neither of them_ could help me.
2. I was invited to two parties last week but I didn'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 --- can play very well.
5. I tried two bookshops for the book I wanted but --- had it.
88.4 Write sentences with both ... and .../neither ... nor .../either ... or ...
1. Tom was late. So was Ann. Both Tom and Ann were later.
2. She didn't write and she didn't phone. She neither wrote nor phoned.
3. Jim is on holiday and so is Carol. Both ---
4. George doesn't smoke and he doesn't drink ---
5. Jim hasn't got a car. Carol hasn't got a car either ---
6. It was a very boring film. It was very long too. The film ---
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 haven't got the money.
I've got ---
9. We can leave today or we can leave tomorrow - whichever you prefer.
We ---
88.5 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 ---them.
4. There are a few shops at the end of the street but --- of them sell newspapers.
5. You can phone me at --- time during the evening. I'm always at home.
6. I can meet you on the 6th or 7th. Would --- of those days be convenient for you?
7. John and I couldn't get into the house because --- of us had a key.
8. There were a few letters this morning but --- of them were for me.
88.1
2 Neither 3 either (of them)
4 both 5 Either
6 Neither
88.2
2 either 3 both
4 Neither of
5 neither ... both/both the/both of the
6 both/both of
88.3
2 either of them
3 both of them
4 neither of us
5 neither of them
88.4
3 Both Jim and Carol are on holiday
4 George neither smokes nor drinks.
5 Neither Jim nor Carol has (got) a car.
6 The film was both long and boring.
7 That man's name is either Richard or Robert.
8 I've got neither the time nor the money to go on holiday.
9 We can leave either today or tomorrow.
88.5
2 either 3 any 4 none
5 any 6 either 7 neither
8 none
