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both ... and, neither ... nor, either ...

or
By Kenneth Beare, About.com Guide
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writing skills
english tenses
common english mistakes
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English Grammar
Grammar Sentences
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Grammar Rules
Both and
Subjects connected by 'both and' take the a plural conjugation.
Examples:
Both Alice and Janice attended USC.
Both Jim and Peter are attending the conference in New York this weekend.
Either or
'Either or' is used in sentences in a positive sense meaning "one or the other, this or
that, he or she, etc." Verb conjugation depends on the subject (singular or plural) closest
to the conjugated verb.
Examples:
Either Peter or the girls need to attend the course. (second subject plural)
Either Jane or Matt is going to visit next weekend. (second subject singular)
Neither nor

'Neither nor' is used in sentences in a negative sense meaning "not this one nor the
other, not this nor that, not he nor she, etc.". Verb conjugation depends on the subject
(singular or plural) closest to the conjugated verb.
Examples:
Neither Frank nor Lilly lives in Eugene. (second subject singular)
Neither Axel nor my other friends care about their future. (second subject plural)
Do you understand the rules? Test your knowledge with this both ... and, neither ... nor,
either ... or quiz.
1. Both Tom and Peter _____ in a suburb of Chicago.
live
lives
2. Either he or they _____ going to take care of the problem.
is
are
3. Neither my aunts nor my grandmother _____ to come to the celebration.
want
wants
4. Both my father and my brother _____ to finish the project.
intend
intends
5. Neither Sally nor the other children _____ in the tooth fairy.
believes
believe
6. Either I or Jack _____ investigated the situation already.
has
have
7. Both the students and the teacher _____ in evolution.
believes
believe
8. Either the uncle or the aunt _____ the boy a birthday card every year.
send
sends
9. Neither Jennifer nor Katherine _____ able to attend the party last week.
were
was
10. Either the participants or the sponsors _____ going to make a donation.
are

is

not...or...or... /not...neither...nor...(triple ni)

Explanation:
It depends on the sentence.
In most cases you can say "not...or...or..." For example: "We haven't had an answer from
A or B or C."
However, if the three negatives are the subject, you need to tweak the sentence a bit,
probably along the lines of: "A did not respond to our letter and neither did B nor C."
HTH
no-one, be they ..... or ....

Explanation:
A commonly-used work-around to the problem outlined under Tony's answer:
"ni del gobierno, ni de las empresas ni de los funcionarios"
-->
" ... no-one, be they government, businesses or public servants, ...

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