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'Both' affirms two; 'neither' denies both; 'either' refers to one of two (as a choice) or reinforces negation.
Side-by-side comparison
"Both" refers to the two together in an affirmative way. Only for exactly two elements. Never use it in negative sentences.
Both my brother and I love football, so we watch every game together.
She is both a talented singer and a skilled guitarist.
Both the app and the website need to be updated before the launch.
"Neither" negates both at once. "Either" has two uses: to choose between two options ("any one of the two"), or to reinforce a negative ("either/neither, too").
Neither the red nor the blue shirt looks good with those trousers.
You can have either the soup or the salad, but not both.
Neither of us had been to Japan before, so everything felt new and exciting.
Neither candidate fully addressed the main concern during the debate, both avoided the question.
She checked both the email and the calendar, but neither showed the meeting had been scheduled.
Common mistake
"I don't like neither of them" is a double negative, incorrect in standard English. Correct: "I don't like either of them" or "I like neither of them", pick one construction.
Trick to remember it
- •"Both" = both (affirmative).
- •"Neither" = neither one (negative).
- •"Either" = either one (choice) or negative reinforcement ("I don't like either").
- •All three apply to exactly two elements only.
Quick rule
- •Never "don't... neither" together (double negative).
- •Use "I don't like either" or "I like neither".
- •For three or more elements use "all", "none", "any".
Did you know?
English's precision for duality (both/neither/either, only for two) is a remnant of Old English, which had three grammatical numbers: singular (one), dual (two), and plural (three or more). Although the grammatical dual disappeared from English centuries ago, its legacy survives in the restriction of these three words to exactly two elements.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
I tried the pasta and the pizza. _____ was bad — they were both delicious.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
"Can you come on Saturday or Sunday?" "_____ day works for me. You choose."
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Exercise 4 · Pick the right one
"Would you like tea or coffee?" "_____, thank you. I'm fine with water."
Exercise 5 · Pick the right one
"Can we meet on Monday or Tuesday?" "_____ day works for me. You choose!"
Exercise 6 · Form the word
Related word pairs
'Both... and' connects two elements positively; 'neither... nor' connects them negatively.
'No' is followed by a noun; 'none', 'nothing', and 'nobody' are pronouns that stand alone without a noun.
'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.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy