How to use either, neither, nor and or kaplan blog. Nor doesnt necessarily have to appear in a sentence with the word neither. Ask them to list any sleep disorders they are aware of, such as snoring, narcolepsy the disorder. Lesson by tristan, english teacher at ec malta english school. Because of commas rules as they apply to coordinating conjunctions, this correlative pair. When pairs of such conjunctions are used in a sentence, a comma to separate them is not required. You can head off potential problems by putting the plural subject second and using a plural verb. Use a comma before and, but, or, nor, for, so, or yet to join two independent clauses that form a compound sentence. Rockowitz writing center, hunter college, city university of new york grammar and mechanics using conjunctions a conjunction is the part of speech used to join or link words, phrases, or clauses to each other. English grammar for dummies cheat sheet australianew.
Correlative conjunctions are conjunctions that come in pairs such as eitheror, neithernor, and not onlybut also and connect words or phrases in a sentence to form a complete thought. All subjects preceded by each and every take a singular verb. Buy our book smashing grammar 2019 written by the founder of grammar monster, smashing grammar includes a glossary of grammar essentials from apostrophes to zeugma and a chapter on easily confused words from affecteffect to whetherif. He either keeps the keys himself or leaves them with his wife. However, conjunctions can come in many forms with many different. Conjunction you use neither nor when you are talking about two or more things that are not true or that do not happen. Neither is used as a determiner before a single noun. Rewrite the below sentences on the given line, placing commas where commas are needed. For example, i took the subway, and got off at 96th street. Either, neither, and subjectverb agreement editor\s blog. For never comes at the beginning of the sentence and for is always preceded by a comma. Both john and fred dont like doing the dishes i want neither the red shirt nor the blue shirt. Neither nor used in a sentence in the negative sense when you want to say that two or more things are not true.
Each entry starts with a simple explanation and basic examples before moving to reallife, entertaining examples. For example, if i is one of two or more subjects, it could lead to this odd sentence. Jay had seen neither the snake nor the wasp s nest on the next tree, and was preparing to stake his tarp in that lessthansafe location. Note that the correlative conjunction pair neither.
Neither my mother nor my father went to university. The verb in an or, eitheror, or neithernor sentence agrees with the noun or pronoun closest to it examples. Use a comma to separate two adjectives when the word and can be inserted between them. Nor, and transitional devices instructions for the teacher this exercise is a supplement to the exercises of in charge 2, unit 2, pages 17 through 20. When using eitheror and neithernor, note the following rules. When they act as pronouns either means one or the other while neither indicates not one or the other both these roads go to rome. She could not speak, nor could she understand anything we said. I have been able to find, on the internet, that you usually use a coma with the word nor.
Home page for english grammar today on cambridge dictionary. If both elements are singular, then the verb is singular too. This document should only be used as a reference and should not replace assignment guidelines. Correlative conjunctions such as eitheror, neithernor, bothand, and not only but. Learn english with lets talk free english lessons 99,505 views 10. Comma splice runon sentence to introduce quoted material. The word nor serves as both a conjunction and a negation, standing in for the and and the not. For example, you might say, i like neither hot dogs nor mustard. Match the verb to the closest subject neither the boys nor the girl is. For this punctuation rule, we can also consider sets of words like not.
Eitheror neithernor either or used when referring to a choice between two possibilities. Correlative conjunctions pleasantville middle school. If a verb is already in the negative then either or is used and not neither nor. To avoid confusion, use commas to separate words and. He will neither come here nor send a representative. If a dependent clause, or an introductory phrase requiring to be set off by a comma, precedes the second independent clause, no comma is needed after the conjunction. The restaurant doesnt have fish or vegetarian meals on its menu.
Conjunctions link individual words or groups of words within a sentence. The reason i have used a semicolon instead of the coma is because i have comas before the word nor in the first clause. Eitheror and neithernor beware double negatives the pairings eitheror and neithernor can be used to group two people or things. Conjunctions are words which join phrases, clauses and sentences. Neithernor when two subjects are joined by neithernor or eitheror, choosing the right. Commaconjunction confusion you are probably familiar with commas, but you may not be as familiar with the term conjunctions. When used with neither, you must say nor before each item in a list. You can go shopping with me, or you can go to a movie alone. A comma is also necessary when two independent clauses are joined by a pair of correlating conjunctions such as eitheror, neithernor, and not onlybut.
This article will explain a little about what conjunctions are and how they should be used. Neither nor when two subjects are joined by neither nor or eitheror, choosing the right. A conjunction and a coordinating conjunction differ in that a conjunction joins grammatically alike subclausal elements, whereas a coordinating conjunction joins grammatically alike clausal elements. Both tom and florence enjoy playing golf neither alice nor peter wants to come to the party either tim or peter will take care of the problem.
Can you use either or and neither nor with more that two items. The forms bothand, neithernor, and eitheror are used to introduce two subjects. The play was neither as funny nor as exciting as she said it was. The most common examples are words like and and but. Use a comma after an introductory clause or phrase. Jay had not seen either the snake or the wasps nest on the next tree, and was preparing to stake his tarp in that lessthansafe location. Grammar conjunction rules, rules and uses of conjunction in general examples and exercise for competitive, academic exams and spoken english. Conjunctions connect elements of a sentence or text and show how they relate to each other. For all those instances when either and neither behave like pronouns, the structure of the sentence would be. However, using neither nor can sound unduly formal or even a little archaic. When used without neither, you should only use nor once. Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction and, but, yet, so, or nor, for when it joins two complete ideas independent clauses. Opt for nor if your negative thought includes a verb phrase. You might wonder whether sentences like these are permissible.
A conjunction is a word that grammatically connects two words, phrases, or clauses together. Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction and, but, yet, so, or nor, for when it. A compound sentence is a sentence that has 2 independent clauses. Either, neither, both examples, how to use speakspeak. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of pro.
Neither the plates nor the serving bowl goes on that shelf. The sentence should be rewritten as im neither angry nor upset. See the last example sentence below as well as the correlative conjunctions section. The situation is perilous, but if we are prepared to act. Neither the serving bowl nor the plates go on that shelf this rule can lead to bumps in the road. Correlative pairs of conjunctions include words like neithernor, notbut, and bothand.
A nor usually follows a neither when theyre used in the same sentence 1. An independent clause is a group of words with a subject and verb that expresses a complete thought. Neither my dad nor my mom wears fashionable clothes. They are generally not followed by any punctuation. Typically, commas are unnecessary with correlative conjunctions. Youve probably learned to memorize these pairs, but im. Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction and, but, yet, so, or nor, for when it joins two complete ideas. We use a singular verb with neither and neither of. Janes bag wasnt where she had left it, so nor neither but too either was it anywhere else in the house. When neither nor begins a sentence and joins two verbs, the auxiliary verb precedes the subject. A comma is also necessary when two independent clauses are joined by a pair of correlating conjunctions such as eitheror, neithernor, and not onlybut also. Linking words yale center for teaching and learning.
When using eitheror and neither nor, note the following rules. Conjunctions are words or phrases that are used to. The series is connected by and, or, or nor before the last item. From the american copy editors society a tricky agreement problem. A comma separates items in the series, including the final item preceded by and, or, or nor. If you want to avoid that, consider rewriting the sentence e. You may also use nor if youre talking about more than two items, but you must repeat nor after each element 2. Although not a major grammatical error, the grouping of more than two things is frowned upon by followers of some style conventions. Neither, neither nor and not either english grammar. Neither the jockeys nor the horses have ever raced on that particular track. Commas may also separate correlative conjunction pairs when the comma separates two independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction. In this second condition, readers might be bothered by a plural subject being followed by a singular verb. Fill in the blanks with so, nor, neither, but, too, or either. He walked down the street, and then he turned the corner.
Either and neither, without their partners or and nor, always take a singular verb either of the apples is. Comma between correlative conjunction sets grammarly. If singular subject follows both neither and or the verb may be in the singular or plural form. Use either a comma or a semicolon before introductory words such.
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