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'Both... and' connects two elements positively; 'neither... nor' connects them negatively.
Side-by-side comparison
"Both... and" is affirmative: both things are true at the same time. The verb is plural because you are talking about two subjects at once.
Both my brother and my sister play the guitar, music really runs in our family.
She is both intelligent and very hard-working, which makes her stand out at work.
Both the food and the service at that restaurant were outstanding, we will definitely go back.
"Neither... nor" is the negative version: neither one is true. The verb agrees with the nearest noun, not with both together.
Neither of them wanted to cook that evening, so they ordered a pizza instead.
She speaks neither Spanish nor Portuguese, so the trip was quite challenging at times.
The film was neither funny nor exciting, it was one of the dullest things I have ever seen.
Common mistake
- •"Neither... or" is wrong: with "neither" the second conjunction is always "nor", not "or".
- •And "both... or" is also wrong: with "both" the second conjunction is always "and".
Trick to remember it
- •The pairs are fixed: "both... and" and "neither... nor".
- •There is no "both... or" or "neither... or".
- •With "neither... nor", the verb agrees with the nearest noun: "Neither the manager nor the employees were present".
Quick rule
"Both" + "and". "Neither" + "nor". Never "neither... or" or "both... or". Agreement: verb matches the nearest noun.
Did you know?
"Both...and" and "neither...nor" are correlative conjunctions, pairs that work together to connect parallel elements. English has several such pairs: either...or, neither...nor, both...and, not only...but also, whether...or. Their shared characteristic: they always connect elements of the same grammatical category. If one side has a verb, the other must too, the structure must be symmetrical.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
She speaks _____ Spanish _____ French. She learned them both at school.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
I tried _____ the red dress _____ the blue one, and I didn't like either of them.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
'Both' affirms two; 'neither' denies both; 'either' refers to one of two (as a choice) or reinforces negation.
'Not only... but also' adds emphasis to the second element; 'both... and' connects two elements with equal weight.
"Too" means also in affirmative sentences; "either" means also in negative sentences.
'Too' and 'as well' go at the end of the sentence; 'also' goes before the main verb.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy