[Image credit: Stuart Miles]
After my last grammar lesson (who or whom), I heard there was still a lot of confusion. Hopefully, either this lesson is a lot easier, or at least it makes more sense. Because neither you nor I need any more confusion added to our lives. Can you figure it out from these two sentences? First, either cannot be paired with nor and neither cannot be paired with or. Secondly, when using neither in a sentence, you are saying that the first and second objects are not behaving in a particular way. In other words, the nouns/pronouns are in agreement with each other. Whereas, either indicates that one noun/pronoun is doing one thing, while the other noun/pronoun is doing another. In the case of my above examples: either/or is the correct combination to use in the first sentence because I hope this grammar lesson is one of two things: easier, or that it makes more sense. In the second sentence, I believe both of us don’t need more confusion added to our lives, so neither is the right adjective to pair with nor. Get it?
Do either you or someone you know mistake these grammar combinations? Hopefully neither you nor anyone else find them confusing.