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Aleksandr Noudelman – Proper Usage of Neither and Nor
Article written by Aleksandr Noudelman. Aleksandr Noudelman is a digital marketing manager.
Unsure of the correct use of neither and nor in the same sentence?
How to use neither with nor is relatively straightforward and they are used together in a sentence with negative statements.
But if you’re unsure of the grammar rules associated and the variables that can affect their usage, here is a simple guide to explain with examples.
Neither/Nor
Correlative conjunctions neither and nor are used when meaning not this or that, neither this one nor the other, not he nor she, etc.
Nor follows neither when used in the same sentence:
- I like neither cabbage nor green olives.
When discussing more than two things, use nor after each (don’t use or or miss out nor):
- I like neither cabbage nor green olives nor broccoli.
When a sentence contains singular or plural nouns or pronouns
Use a singular verb when connecting singular nouns:
- Neither Kosovo nor the Vatican City is in the United Nations.
- Neither you nor I have received updated figures yet.
Use plural verbs to connect plural nouns:
- Neither the curtains nor the carpets go with that colour scheme.
- Neither the Taylors nor the Mitchells were available for comment.
When a sentence contains a mixture of singular and plural nouns
Make sure there is agreement between the noun and the closest verb:
- Neither the women nor the man is a good singer
- Neither the man nor the women are good singers*
- Neither the children nor Sam has placed their order
- Neither Sam nor her children have placed their order*
*If you prefer to use the plural (are, have, etc.), rearrange the sentence so the plural is closest to the verb as shown in the starred examples above.
When Nor isn’t always used with Neither
You can use nor without neither following a negative expression:
- I don’t follow a particular football team, nor do I watch it regularly.
And you can use nor to start a sentence if you want to continue discussing something negative in a new sentence:
- You don’t need to take any action. Nor do I see myself requesting information in the future.
Also, as nor is a conjunction (the same as and, yet, so,) a comma is used before nor when an independent clause (contains a subject and verb) follows:
- I don’t like cabbage, nor do I like green olives.
- I have no reason to think that, nor do I have any objection if you do.
When Or is used instead of Nor
If the second negative item in a sentence is an adjective, adverb or noun phrase (not a complete thought/sentence with a subject and verb), you should use or to carry on the negative connotation.
- Not the UK or the US.
- She isn’t taking part in training or the competition.
- He doesn’t like Marmite or Bovril.
These examples can also be rewritten using neither/nor:
- Neither the UK nor the US.
- She’s neither taking part in training nor the competition.
- He likes neither Marmite nor Bovril.
Keeping the balance
Because you need to keep the aspects relating to neither and nor parallel, the sentence needs to be structured so that both parts match:
The following sentence is incorrect.
- She will recite neither her poetry nor sing her song.
Neither is associated with a noun (her poetry) whereas nor is followed by a verb phrase (sing her song).
This can be corrected by moving neither so it comes before recite so both parts are verb phrases:
- She will neither recite her poetry nor sing her song.
Hopefully this article has helped to clarify the use of neither with nor. They are usually used in conjunction with a few exceptions. If in doubt, use the examples above to help structure your sentence so your usage is correct according to general practice.
(c) Aleksandr Noudelman
