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Both, Either, and Neither: correct answers

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Both, Either, and Neither

When talking about two people or things, English uses specific words to clarify your meaning. Use "both" to refer to two out of two (e.g., Both cats are sleeping), "either" for one of two choices (e.g., We can order either pizza or tacos), and "neither" for zero out of two (e.g., Neither brother has an alibi).

This challenge covers the grammatical rules for using these words correctly as pronouns (neither of them), determiners (both boys), and within paired conjunctions (either... or, neither... nor). You will apply these rules to fun, practical scenarios, such as helping a detective interrogate suspicious twins, assisting a young wizard in choosing a magical pet, and completing a food critic's scathing restaurant review.

You'll work through 12 questions in a mix of single-choice, multi-choice, drop-down, and drag-and-drop formats.

Try the quiz to check your knowledge!

MediumA2 | Elementary | Pre-intermediateA2B1 | IntermediateB1ConjunctionCoordinationCountable and uncountableDeterminerNegationNounPronounSubjectWord order

Correct answers

Question 1

Finish the enthusiastic travel agent's email to a client.

We can book the mountain cabin or the beach house. ___ option sounds fantastic for your weekend getaway!

The correct answer is Either.

We use either before a singular noun ("option") to mean "one or the other" of two choices.

"Both" requires a plural noun ("options"), "Neither" gives a negative meaning that conflicts with "sounds fantastic," and "Every" is used for three or more things.

Question 2

Help the food critic write a scathing review of two local diners! Select ALL the sentences that use "both," "either," or "neither" grammatically correctly.

The correct answers are Both restaurants are completely overpriced., I do not want to eat at either of them., and Neither restaurant has a dessert menu.

"Both" refers to two things together and takes a plural noun and verb (Both restaurants are...).

We use "either" with a negative verb to mean "not one and not the other" (do not... either). Using "neither" with a negative verb creates an incorrect double negative (don't... neither).

"Neither" is used with affirmative verbs and singular nouns to mean "not one and not the other" (Neither restaurant has...).

Question 3

Complete the food critic's dramatic review of a local restaurant.

I tasted the chocolate cake and the lemon tart, but unfortunately, ___ of them was edible.

The correct answer is neither.

We use neither to mean "not one and not the other" when talking about exactly two things.

"Both" doesn't fit the negative context ("unfortunately"), "either" would need a negative verb ("wasn't"), and "none" is only used when talking about three or more items!

Question 4

Fill in the blanks to complete this angry traveler's hotel review.
The hotel offered us a room with a view of a brick wall or a room next to the noisy elevator. We politely declined, as we didn't want _________________________ of those terrible options!
The manager proudly stated that _________________________ rooms were considered "premium suites."
In the end, we slept in our rental car because _________________________ room was actually clean.

didn't want either

When you have a negative verb ("didn't want"), you must use "either" to mean "not this one and not that one." Using "neither" here would create an incorrect double negative.

both rooms

"Both" is used with plural nouns ("rooms") and a plural verb ("were"). "Either" and "every" would require a singular noun ("room").

neither room

"Neither" is used with a singular noun ("room") and a singular verb ("was") to mean that out of the two rooms, zero were clean.

Question 5

Help the lost backpacker make sense of the local train schedule by choosing the correct word for each gap.

You can take either the 9:00 AM or the 10:30 AM train, as they go to the exact same destination.

Just be aware that both trains are extremely crowded during the morning rush hour.

I asked two ticket agents for advice, but sadly neither of them spoke English, so I am still a bit confused!

You can take either the 9:00 AM or the 10:30 AM train, as they go to the exact same destination.

The word either pairs with "or" to offer a choice between two alternatives.

Just be aware that both trains are extremely crowded during the morning rush hour.

Grammatically, both is followed by a plural noun ("trains"). If we used "either" or "neither" directly before the noun, the noun would have to be singular ("either train", "neither train").

I asked two ticket agents for advice, but sadly neither of them spoke English, so I am still a bit confused!

The word "sadly" and the traveler's confusion indicate a negative situation. Neither means "not one and not the other" out of the two agents.

Question 6

Help the indecisive diner complete their text message to a friend.
I'm staring at the chocolate cake and the apple pie. I want to order _________________________ of them, but I only have room in my stomach for one!
My friend has a severe nut allergy, and sadly, _________________________ dessert is completely nut-free.
So, we can skip dessert or find another cafe. _________________________ choice is fine with me!

both of them

"Both" refers to the two items together (the cake and the pie).

neither dessert

"Neither" means "not one and not the other." It is used with a singular noun ("dessert") to show that zero out of the two options are safe to eat.

Either choice

"Either" means "one or the other." It is used with a singular noun ("choice") to show that any one of the two options is acceptable.

Question 7

Complete the detective's case notes about a petty office crime by choosing the correct word for each gap in the report.

The suspect is either Jim or Pam, as they were the only ones in the breakroom at the time.

However, it seems that neither Jim nor Pam has a clear motive to steal the boss's favorite mug.

I interviewed the two new interns, and it turns out both of them saw the mug sitting safely in the sink this morning.

The suspect is either Jim or Pam, as they were the only ones in the breakroom at the time.

The pairing either ... or is used to state that one of two possibilities is true.

However, it seems that neither Jim nor Pam has a clear motive to steal the boss's favorite mug.

The pairing neither ... nor is used to connect two negative ideas, meaning "not Jim and not Pam."

I interviewed the two new interns, and it turns out both of them saw the mug sitting safely in the sink this morning.

We use both to refer to the two interns together, meaning the two of them shared this experience.

Question 8

Help the young wizard review his options for a magical pet! He is trying to decide between a cat and an owl. Select ALL the sentences that are grammatically correct.

The correct answers are You can choose either a cat or an owl., Both the cat and the owl are excellent choices., and I think I want both of them!

"Either" pairs with "or" to present a choice between two things.

"Both" pairs with "and" to include two things together. "Both of them" is also a correct pronoun phrase.

"Neither" must pair with "nor", not "or" (Neither the dragon nor the griffin...).

You cannot use "neither" with a negative verb like "cannot," as this creates a double negative. You should say, "You cannot choose either of them."

Question 9

Help the exhausted babysitter explain the situation to the parents.

The twins were completely silent, but ___ boys had chocolate on their faces, so I knew they were guilty!

The correct answer is both.

We use both directly before a plural noun (like "boys") to talk about two people or things together.

"Either" and "neither" must be followed by a singular noun (e.g., "either boy"). "Both of" is incorrect here because it requires a determiner like "the" or a pronoun (e.g., "both of the boys" or "both of them").

Question 10

Read the landlord's complaints about Alex and Sam, two notoriously lazy roommates. Choose ALL the statements that use "both," "either," or "neither" correctly.

The correct answers are Neither roommate washes the dishes., Neither Alex nor Sam pays the rent on time., and Both of them sleep until noon every day.

"Neither" followed directly by a singular noun takes a singular verb (Neither roommate washes). When pairing two singular subjects with "Neither... nor...", the verb is also singular (pays).

"Both" always takes a plural verb. Therefore, "Both of them sleep" is correct, but "Both Alex and Sam refuses" is incorrect (it should be refuse).

"Either" followed directly by a singular noun takes a singular verb, so it should be "Either roommate is going to have to clean..."

Question 11

Help the indecisive couple figure out their dessert order by choosing the correct word for each gap in their conversation.

"We can order either the chocolate cake or the fruit tart, but we can't afford two desserts."

"Actually, I think neither of those sounds good to me right now; I'm craving ice cream instead."

"Well, my sister and I had the ice cream last time, and unfortunately both of us ended up with a terrible brain freeze!"

"We can order either the chocolate cake or the fruit tart, but we can't afford two desserts."

We use either with "or" to talk about a choice between two options.

"Actually, I think neither of those sounds good to me right now; I'm craving ice cream instead."

We use neither to mean "not the first one and not the second one." Since the speaker wants something completely different (ice cream), they want zero of the two original options.

"Well, my sister and I had the ice cream last time, and unfortunately both of us ended up with a terrible brain freeze!"

We use both to refer to two out of two people or things. It means "the first one and the second one."

Question 12

Complete the detective's case notes about the suspicious twins.
During the interrogation of the twins, I noticed that _________________________ brothers kept nervously looking at the door.
I checked their alibis, but unfortunately for them, _________________________ of them actually bought a cinema ticket that night.
I warned them that _________________________ Arthur or Bartholomew must confess soon, or they are in big trouble.

both brothers

"Both" is used with a plural noun ("brothers") to refer to the two twins together.

neither of them

"Neither of them" means "not Arthur and not Bartholomew." It shows that zero out of the two twins bought a ticket.

either Arthur or Bartholomew

The structure "either... or" is used to present two choices or possibilities, meaning one of the two must take action.

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