Intermediate 📐 Grammar · #138 of 305

Both... And, Either... Or, Neither... Nor

Correlative conjunctions.

Examples

  • Neither he nor I knew.

Key rules

  • Both ... and joins two items
  • Either ... or means one of two
  • Neither ... nor means not one and not the other
  • Neither and nor already make the verb negative
  • The verb agrees with the closer subject in either/or and neither/nor

Common mistakes

  • Neither John nor Mary don't know → Neither John nor Mary knows
  • Both he and I am → Both he and I are
💡 Tip: Keep the structures parallel.
Practise this topic in the appPractise Intermediate quiz
← Each Other and One AnotherTime Clauses with When, As Soon As, Until →

Related Intermediate topics

See all Intermediate grammar lessons →

Present Perfect Continuous

have been + -ing stresses duration up to now.

Past Perfect

had + past participle for an earlier past action.

Past Perfect Continuous

had been + -ing for duration before a past moment.

Future Continuous

will be + -ing for actions in progress at a future time.

Future Perfect

will have + past participle for completion before a future time.

Future Perfect Continuous

will have been + -ing for duration up to a future point.