Either … or…
Either… or… connects two choices: I’ve saved some money to buy either[choice 1]a DVD playeror[choice 2]an MP3 player.
We use either… or… to connect items which are the same grammatical type, e.g. words, phrases, clauses: We can either pre- or post-date the document. I don’t mind. (connecting prefixes)
It’s either black or grey. I can’t remember. (connecting words)
You can stay either with me or with Janet. (connecting phrases)
Either I drive to the airport or I get a taxi. (connecting clauses)
The opposite of either… or… is neither… nor…. We use it to make negative statements connecting items: We got so wet. We had neither umbrellas nor raincoats with us!
Neither our families nor our friends know that we are getting married!
See also:
Conjunctions
Neither … nor
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