Both - Either - Neither

Distributives determiners or simply distributives refer to a gruop of people or things, and to individual members of the group. They show different ways of looking at the individuals within a group, and they express how something is distributed, shared, or divided.

Both of us like Mexican food

Both#

Both refers to the whole pair and is equivalent to "one and the other". Both can be used with plural nouns on its own, or it can be followed by of, with or without an article. When followed by a plural pronoun, both must be separated from the pronoun by of.

Both (of) my parents approve of me going to college

I told both of them to give me a call

Both cannot be used with singular nouns, because it refers to two things.

Both my sister likes travelling. Both my sisters like travelling

Either#

Either is positive and when used alone refers to one of the two members of the pair. It is equivalent to "one or the other". Because it refers to just one member of a pair, either must be used before a singular noun. It can also be used with a plural noun or pronoun if followed by of.

Either day is fine

We could stay at either of the hotels

Either can also be used with or in a construction that talks about each member of the pair in turn. The meaning remains the same, but in this case either is not functioning as a distributive. It is functioning as a conjunction.

You can have either ice cream or cake

Neither#

Neither is negative and when used alone refers to the whole pair. It is equivalent to "not one or the other". Because it refers to just one member of a pair, neither must be used before a singular noun. It can also be used with a plural noun or pronoun if followed by of.

Neither date is convenient for me

Neither of these dresses suits her

Neither can also be used with nor in a construction that talks about each member of the pair in turn. The meaning remains the same, but in this case neither is not functioning as a distributive. It is functioning as a conjunction.

It is neither snowing nor raining

Guided Practice#

• .................... the parties signed the papers on Monday.

• I haven't been to .................... those cafes.

• .................... stay with me .................... go away.

• .................... classmate wanted to work on the project together with Peter.

• .................... mom .................... dad came to her graduation ceremony.

Short Story using Distributives Both-Either-Neither#

-Do you want ice cream or cake?

-I want neither this nor that.

-OK. Do you want tea or coffee?

-I'll have either juice or milk.

-Neither think is good for you. Either stop being picky or I'll stop treating you.

Independent Practice#

Complete the sentences with both, either, neither.

1. Where is Kim? Is she at work or at home? - .................... . She's on vacation in Peru.

2. Do you want tea or coffee? - .................... . I'll have what you want.

3. .................... this dress or that green one. We can't afford .................... of them.

4. We are huge fans of their music. .................... of us want to go to their concert!

5. Is it the 13th or the 14th today? - .................... . It's the 16th!

Write sentences with both ... and ..., either ... or ..., neither ... nor ...

1. I don't have time and desire to go the party.

2. Adam was late. And Kate was late too.

3. Is he James or John? I don't remember his name but it's one of the two.

4. She didn't smile, she didn't cry.

5. We can stay for a little longer or leave right now. It's up to you.