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Quizzes > Literature & Language > English & Grammar

Either Or vs. Neither Nor Quiz: Can You Get Them All Right?

Think you can nail these either or or questions? Dive in!

Difficulty: Moderate
2-5mins
Learning OutcomesCheat Sheet
Paper art grammar quiz banner with either or neither nor text on dark blue background

This quiz helps you master either or questions and use neither nor the right way in real sentences. Work through quick items, get instant feedback, and spot gaps before a test or your next draft. Want a warm-up? Try our grammar quiz first, then come back and aim for a clean run.

______ the coach nor the players were prepared for the sudden downpour.
Neither
Both
Not
Either
The correlative conjunction pair 'neither ... nor' is used to indicate that not one thing nor the other is true. In this sentence, both the coach and the players were unprepared. Using 'Neither' correctly starts the negative construction with 'nor'. For more detail, see .
You can take ____ the bus ____ the train to reach downtown.
Both / And
Neither / Or
Either / Or
Neither / Nor
The phrase 'either ... or' offers two alternatives, meaning you have a choice between the bus or the train. 'Neither ... nor' would negate both options, which isn't appropriate here. For guidance on correlative conjunctions, visit .
I want ______ tea ______ coffee, thanks.
Both / And
Not only / But also
Either / Or
Neither / Nor
'Neither ... nor' is used to indicate that both options are not desired. Here, you don't want tea and you don't want coffee. For more examples, see .
He will ______ study now ______ later this evening.
Either / Or
Neither / Nor
Both / And
Not / Nor
To express that he won't study at either time, use 'neither ... nor'. This correctly negates both possible time slots. See more usage notes at .
Which sentence correctly uses either/or with subject-verb agreement?
Neither John nor his friends are coming.
Either John or his friends are coming.
Neither John or his friends is coming.
Either John or his friends is coming.
With 'either ... or', the verb agrees with the noun closest to it - in this case 'friends', which is plural, so 'are' is correct. For subject-verb rules with correlative conjunctions, see .
____ Nora ____ Mia failed the exam.
Both / And
Neither / Nor
Either / Or
Not / Nor
To state that both Nora and Mia failed, use 'neither ... nor' to negate each subject. This is the standard construction in English. Refer to for more details.
We can either go to the beach ____ the mountains this weekend.
Or
But
Nor
And
The correlative conjunction 'either ... or' needs 'or' to present the second alternative. 'Neither ... nor' would negate both options, which isn't intended here. For more on alternatives, visit .
Neither the teacher nor the students ____ ready for the quiz.
was
is
were
are
When using 'neither ... nor', the verb agrees with the subject closest to it, here 'students' (plural), so 'are' is correct. For subject-verb agreement rules, see .
She hasn't decided ____ painting ____ sculpting is her true passion.
Either / Or
Both / And
Not only / But also
Neither / Nor
'Either ... or' correctly introduces two possible passions of painting or sculpting. 'Neither ... nor' would negate both options, which doesn't match the context. For more examples, see .
Identify the error in: 'I will neither go to the party or stay home.'
No change needed.
Replace 'neither' with 'either'.
Add 'not' before 'stay'.
Replace 'or' with 'nor'.
The correlative pair must be 'neither ... nor', not 'neither ... or'. You should replace 'or' with 'nor' to correct the sentence. See for guidance.
The report was _____ incomplete _____ inaccurate.
Both / And
Either / Or
Neither / Nor
Not only / But also
'Neither ... nor' conveys that the report was neither one nor the other (incomplete or inaccurate). 'Either ... or' would suggest a choice rather than negation. More at .
Either the manager ____ the employees were responsible for the oversight.
and
but
nor
or
The correct pair is 'either ... or', introducing two possible responsible parties. 'Neither ... nor' would negate both, which isn't intended. See .
Which sentence correctly uses 'neither/nor' with subject-verb agreement?
Neither Lara nor her parents has agreed with the decision.
Neither Lara nor her parents is agreeing with the decision.
Neither Lara nor her parents agree with the decision.
Neither Lara nor her parents agrees with the decision.
With 'neither ... nor', the verb matches the noun closest to it ('parents', plural), so 'agree' is correct. For more on verb agreement, see .
Identify the mistake: 'I will either study now nor later.'
Swap 'study' and 'later'.
Replace 'nor' with 'or'.
No change needed.
Replace 'either' with 'neither'.
The correct correlative conjunction is 'either ... or', not 'either ... nor'. You should replace 'nor' with 'or'. More info at .
In which sentence is the correlative usage incorrect?
Either the architects or the engineer is responsible for the design.
Neither the players nor the coach was ready for the match.
Neither the CEO nor the board members were aware of the issue.
Either Tom or his friends is picking up the tickets.
In 'Either Tom or his friends is picking up the tickets,' the verb 'is' should agree with 'friends' (plural), so it should be 'are'. For subject-verb agreement with correlative conjunctions, see .
The committee will ____ vote on the proposal ____ reject it outright.
Whether / Or
Neither / Nor
Either / Or
Both / And
'Either ... or' presents two possible actions: vote or reject. 'Neither ... nor' would negate both actions. For more, consult .
Choose the sentence with correct pronoun usage and either/or:
Either John or me am going to the meeting.
Either I or John are going to the meeting.
Either John or I am going to the meeting.
Either me or John am going to the meeting.
When using 'either ... or', pronouns should be in the subject form. Here, 'I' is correct. The verb 'am' agrees with 'I'. For pronoun case rules, see .
Which sentence avoids a double negative?
I saw neither movie or show.
I saw neither movie nor show.
I didn't see neither movie nor show.
I saw either movie nor show.
Using 'didn't' and 'neither' together creates a double negative. 'I saw neither movie nor show.' correctly negates without doubling negatives. See .
Neither rain ____ snow could stop them from enjoying the festival.
Or
But
And
Nor
In 'neither ... nor', the second blank must be 'nor' to correctly negate both rain and snow. For more on this construction, visit .
Either the HR department or the CEO ____ address the issue immediately.
is addressing
addresses
address
will addressed
With 'either ... or', the verb agrees with the noun closest to it - in this case 'CEO' (singular) - so 'addresses' is correct. See .
Which sentence correctly uses neither/nor with inversion for emphasis?
I have neither ever experienced such chaos before.
Neither have I ever experienced such chaos before.
Never have I neither seen nor heard such praise.
Neither I have ever experienced such chaos before.
In formal writing, 'Neither have I ...' inverts subject and auxiliary for emphasis, correctly pairing with 'nor'. This avoids awkward structure. More examples at .
Which sentence applies the nearest-noun agreement rule with either/or correctly in a complex context?
Either the quality of the ingredients or the technique make this dish special.
Either the coach or the players was late to practice.
Either the team or the manager have decided to postpone.
Either the quality of the sauce or the meat makes the flavor rich.
For 'either ... or', the verb should agree with the noun closest to it. In the correct sentence, 'meat' is singular and so 'makes' is correct. See detailed agreement rules at .
In 'Either the performance or the reviews ____ been disappointing,' choose the correct verb form.
having
have
had
has
With 'either ... or', the verb agrees with the nearest subject 'reviews' (plural), so 'have been' is correct. This follows the closest-subject rule. For more, see .
Analyze this: 'Neither the CEO nor the investors, along with their advisors, ____ aware of the change.' Which verb agrees correctly?
be
were
was
is
Despite the intervening phrase 'along with their advisors', the verb agrees with the nearer subject 'investors' (plural), so 'were' is correct. Intervening phrases do not affect agreement. See .
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Study Outcomes

  1. Understand either/or and neither/nor distinctions -

    Grasp the fundamental differences between either/or questions and neither/nor constructions to avoid common mistakes.

  2. Analyze sentence context -

    Examine real-world examples to determine when to use either/or versus neither/nor in both written and spoken English.

  3. Apply interactive quiz strategies -

    Solve a variety of either or questions with confidence by following clear, step-by-step explanations.

  4. Evaluate grammatical accuracy -

    Assess sentence structure and pinpoint errors in either or and neither nor usage for self-correction.

  5. Create correct sentence constructions -

    Compose your own examples using good either or questions and best either or questions to reinforce learning.

Cheat Sheet

  1. Parallel structure -

    Maintaining parallelism ensures that in either/or questions both choices share the same grammatical form. According to Purdue OWL, you should align parts of speech so that the sentence flows smoothly. For example, say 'You can either email or call your advisor,' not 'email or to call.'

  2. Subject - verb agreement -

    With either/or (and neither/nor) constructions, the verb must agree in number with the noun closest to it. Cambridge Grammar notes that 'Either the coach or the players are warming up' is correct because 'players' is plural. Conversely, 'Neither the players nor the coach is available' uses a singular verb after 'coach.'

  3. Scope of negation -

    When negating two items, choose between 'not either...or' and 'neither/nor' correctly. Oxford English Dictionary guidelines show that 'I don't like either option' uses a negative verb with either/or, whereas 'I like neither option' prefers neither/nor. Swap structures depending on whether the main verb or the conjunction carries the negation.

  4. Position of negation -

    Be mindful that placing 'either' after a negative verb differs from using neither/nor: 'She doesn't want either dessert or coffee' vs. 'She wants neither dessert nor coffee.' University of Chicago Style Manual confirms that choosing the right form avoids confusion in advanced either or questions. Practice rephrasing sentences both ways to gain confidence.

  5. Mnemonic for mastery -

    A handy mnemonic is 'Either = one or the other; Neither = not one nor the other' to lock in usage. Research from the University of Bristol highlights that simple rhymes speed recall - think 'E' for 'Either/Exact Option' and 'N' for 'Neither/No Option.' Practice turning statements into either/or and neither/nor forms with this mind cue to boost fluency.

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