These word pairs cannot be mixed or matched.

“Either” always works together with “or”. For example, "The child wanted either the manatee or the hairy wombat for her birthday."

“Neither” always works together with “nor”. For example, “She enjoys neither snowboarding nor hula dancing”.

SAMPLE PRACTICE QUESTIONS FOR EITHER...OR / NEITHER...NOR

        Among us, Kumar would be considered neither the greatest
                     (A)                   (B)                                               (C)
        mathematician or the most eloquent writer. No Error
                                  (D)                                              (E)

When you see “neither”, scan the rest of the question for “nor”. If you don’t find “nor”, then there is a mistake.

Here, the error is in choice (D).

        Arabs discovered and used the number zero before either
                                             (A)
        Europeans and Indians, eventually spreading the
                             (B)                    (C)
        concept through contact with Eastern and Western
                                            (D)
        cultures. No Error
                           (E)

When you see “either”, immediately search for “or”. If you find it, then it is correct. If you do not find “or”, then an underlined choice is probably wrong.

In this question, the error can be found in choice (B), which incorrectly uses “and” in place of “or”.

SAT Writing: Either...Or / Neither...Nor

Lesson Includes:

—Explanation of Comparisons with Than

—Sample Practice Questions

—Practice Questions

SAT Math

SAT Reading

SAT Writing

SAT Vocabulary

EITHER...OR / NEITHER...NOR REIVEW QUIZ

 

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