Connectors Either and Neither
Neither and Either
Either Neither
Both students can take the test. (Ambos estudiantes pueden tomar el examen.)
Either student can take the test. (Uno de los estudiantes puede tomar el examen.)
Neither student can take the test. (Ninguno de los estudiantes puede tomar el examen.)
Both Frank and Bob live in Chicago.Either Frank or Bob lives in Chicago.Neither Frank nor Bob live in Chicago.
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So - Neither - Either
SO
SO is used to show agreement with positive statements.
SO + Auxiliary + Subject (pronoun)
The Auxiliary needs to agree with the verb tense in the original statement.
It is similar to using TOO at the end of a sentence.
| Person A | Person B | |
|---|---|---|
| I am happy. | So am I. | = I am happy too. |
| I'm going to Brazil in the summer. | So am I. | = I am going to Brazil too. |
| You look nice today. | So do you. | = you look nice too. |
| Stephanie has a new boyfriend. | So does Mary. | = Mary has a new one too. |
| We went to the concert last night. | So did I. | = I went to the concert too. |
| I would love a coffee right now. | So would I. | = I would love a coffee too. |
| He will win a prize. | So will I. | = I will win one too. |
| They have finished their homework. | So have I. | = I have finished too. |
| I can speak two languages. | So can I. | = I can speak two too. |
| He should study more. | So should I. | = I should study more too. |
| We could see the mountains. | So could we. | = We could see them too. |
| My brother had eaten too much. | So had I. | = I had eaten too much too. |
NEITHER
Neither is used to show agreement with negative statements.
Neither + Auxiliary + Subject (pronoun)
The Auxiliary needs to agree with the verb tense in the original statement.
It is similar to using either at the end of a sentence, although Neither is more commonly used, especially in spoken English.
A: I don't understand Spanish.
B: Neither do I. (= I don't understand Spanish either.)
B: Neither do I. (= I don't understand Spanish either.)
A: I cannot swim.
B: Neither can I. (= I can't swim either.)
B: Neither can I. (= I can't swim either.)
Sometimes people respond Me Neither instead of Neither + Auxiliary + Subject though this is very informal spoken English.
| Person A | Person B | |
|---|---|---|
| I am not hungry. | Neither am I. | = I'm not hungry either |
| I'm not going to quit. | Neither am I. | = I'm not going to quit either |
| They don't speak French. | Neither do I. | = I don't speak French either. |
| Stephanie doesn't eat meat. | Neither does Mary. | = Mary doesn't eat meat either. |
| Mary didn't go to the party. | Neither did I. | = I didn't go either. |
| I wouldn't like to do his job. | Neither would I. | = I wouldn't like to do it either. |
| He won't stop talking. | Neither will you. | = You won't stop either. |
| You haven't finished your meal. | Neither have you. | = You haven't finished either. |
| Mike can't reach the top shelf. | Neither can I. | = I can't reach it either. |
| You shouldn't talk in the movie. | Neither should you. | = You shouldn't talk either. |
| We couldn't hear him. | Neither could we. | = We couldn't hear him either. |
| I hadn't seen her before. | Neither had I. | = I hadn't seen her before either. |
