Either, Neither and Both Explained: A Complete Teaching Guide

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Your B1 student is choosing between two job offers and reaches for the quantifiers you’ve just taught. ‘I like both positions, but either don’t pay enough,’ she says, mixing up the meanings completely.

This confusion between either, neither, and both comes up in every B1 classroom. These three quantifiers look simple but each carries distinct meaning and grammar rules that trip students up daily.

TL;DR

• Either means ‘one or the other’ when choosing between two options and requires singular verbs.
• Neither means ‘not one and not the other’ and already contains negative meaning, so avoid double negatives.
• Both means ‘the first and the second together’ and always requires plural verbs even with ‘of’ constructions.
• Common B1 errors include using both with three items, creating double negatives with neither, and verb agreement mistakes.

What do either, neither and both mean?

These three quantifiers deal exclusively with pairs — never three or more items. Either presents a choice between two options, neither rejects both options completely, and both includes both options together.

Either: One or the other

Either offers a choice between exactly two possibilities, suggesting both options are acceptable. ‘Would you like tea or coffee?’ ‘Either is fine’ — the speaker accepts whichever option you choose.

Students often confuse this with both because they know either relates to two items. The key difference: either picks one from the pair, never both simultaneously. It frequently appears in questions and polite offers where you’re genuinely giving someone a choice.

Use this B1 lesson on everyday choices when students need practice with either in decision-making contexts.

Neither: Not one and not the other

Neither completely rejects both options in a pair. It’s the negative counterpart to both — where both means ‘the first and the second’, neither means ‘not the first and not the second’.

The critical point: neither already contains the negative meaning. Students create double negatives when they say ‘I don’t like neither option’ instead of ‘I like neither option’. Think of neither as a more formal alternative to ‘not either’.

Both: The first and the second

Both includes every item in a pair simultaneously. ‘Both restaurants serve excellent food’ — not one or the other, but the first restaurant and the second restaurant together.

Students often extend both to mean ‘all’ when talking about three or more items. ‘Both of the three hotels were expensive’ should be ‘All three hotels were expensive’. Both strictly limits itself to pairs.

Quantifier	Meaning	Example	Context
Either	One or the other	’Either option works for me’	Offering choice between two
Neither	Not one and not the other	’Neither candidate impressed me’	Rejecting both options
Both	The first and the second	’Both films were brilliant’	Including both options together

How do you use either, neither and both in sentences?

These quantifiers follow four main sentence patterns, each with specific verb agreement rules that B1 students need to master systematically.

As determiners before nouns

Either and both take plural nouns, while neither takes singular nouns. ‘Either restaurants serve vegetarian food’ (both restaurants are options). ‘Neither restaurant serves vegetarian food’ (not the first restaurant, not the second restaurant). ‘Both restaurants serve vegetarian food’ (the first restaurant and the second restaurant).

Verb agreement follows the noun: ‘Either restaurants are’ (plural), ‘Neither restaurant is’ (singular), ‘Both restaurants are’ (always plural).

Start with this pattern before introducing the more complex ‘of’ constructions. Students grasp the meaning more easily when the quantifier directly modifies a concrete noun.

With ‘of’ + pronouns or definite nouns

All three quantifiers can combine with ‘of’ plus a plural pronoun or definite noun phrase. ‘Either of them speaks French’ — here, the verb stays singular because you’re talking about one person from the pair. ‘Neither of the books costs much’ — singular verb with neither. ‘Both of them speak French’ — always plural with both.

This construction confuses students because the pronoun or noun after ‘of’ is always plural, but the verb agreement varies by quantifier. Drill the most common combinations: ‘either of them is’, ‘neither of them is’, ‘both of them are’.

In either…or and neither…nor constructions

These paired conjunctions create parallel structures. ‘Either John or Sarah handles the accounts’ — the verb agrees with the nearest subject (Sarah, so singular). ‘Neither the manager nor the employees were satisfied’ — ‘employees’ is nearer and plural, so the verb is plural.

This pattern appears in more formal contexts. Introduce it after students are comfortable with the basic determiner uses, typically later in the B1 level when they’re working on contrast connectors like ‘however’ and ‘whereas’.

Pattern	Example	Verb Rule	Common Mistakes
+ noun	’Both restaurants are open’	Match the noun	’Both restaurant is open’
+ of + pronoun	’Either of them works here’	Either/neither = singular, both = plural	’Both of them is happy’
Either…or	’Either Tom or his colleagues are coming’	Agree with nearest subject	’Either Tom or his colleagues is coming’
Neither…nor	’Neither coffee nor tea appeal to me’	Agree with nearest subject	Using ‘don’t’ before ‘neither’

What mistakes do B1 students make with either, neither and both?

B1 students make five predictable errors with these quantifiers, usually because they’re transferring patterns from their first language or overgeneralising English rules.

Double negatives with neither

‘I don’t like neither option’ appears in every B1 classroom because students treat neither like a regular noun that needs ‘don’t’ for negation. They don’t realise neither already carries the negative meaning.

Explain that neither = ‘not either’. The correct versions are ‘I like neither option’ or ‘I don’t like either option’. Give students controlled practice switching between these two forms before attempting free production.

According to Ellii’s approach to choice-based quantifier activities, teaching through decision-making tasks helps students notice the inherent negative meaning in neither more naturally than explicit grammar explanations.

Verb agreement confusion

‘Both of them is happy’ and ‘Either restaurants are open’ show students struggling with when to use singular versus plural verbs. Both always takes plural verbs, even with ‘of’ constructions, but either and neither vary depending on the pattern.

Create a simple rule hierarchy: both = always plural. Either/neither = singular with ‘of’, but match the noun in direct constructions. Don’t overwhelm them with every possible pattern at once.

You might hear students say ‘Neither John nor Mary are coming’ when they should say ‘Neither John nor Mary is coming’ — the verb agrees with the nearest subject (Mary, singular).

Overusing both for multiple items

‘Both of the three options work well’ appears when students generalise both to mean ‘all’. They understand that both deals with multiple items but miss the strict two-item limit.

Introduce ‘all’ for three or more items immediately after teaching both. Give students practice switching: ‘Both books are interesting’ versus ‘All three books are interesting’. The contrast helps them notice the numerical restriction.

Wrong	Right	Why It Happens	Teaching Fix
’I don’t like neither'	'I like neither’ or ‘I don’t like either’	Double negative from L1 transfer	Teach neither = not either
’Both of them is'	'Both of them are’	Confusion over singular/plural rules	Always plural with both
’Both of the three cars'	'All three cars’	Overgeneralising both to mean all	Contrast both (2) vs all (3+)
‘Either books are good'	'Both books are good’	Mixing up either/both meanings	Either = choice, both = inclusion
’Me either’ (agreeing)	‘Me too’ or ‘Me neither’	Overextending either to all agreement	Either = choice, not agreement

How can you teach either, neither and both communicatively?

Communicative activities work better than grammar drills because these quantifiers naturally appear in real conversations about choices, preferences, and opinions.

Agreement and disagreement activities

Cabal’s hot seat agreement games generate natural repetition of target structures while keeping students engaged. Put two students in ‘hot seats’ facing their team. Read opinion statements and have the seated students show YES/NO cards. Teams score points when both students agree and when they produce correct sentences using both, either, or neither.

‘We both think reality TV is entertaining’ or ‘Neither of us watches the news’ comes out naturally when students report their agreement or disagreement. The game mechanics force repeated production without feeling like a drill.

Try role-playing new classmates trying to make friends by finding common ground. Give each student different preference cards and have them discover what they share using the target structures.

Choice and preference tasks

Would-you-rather discussions create genuine communicative need for these quantifiers. ‘Would you rather live in the mountains or by the sea?’ leads naturally to ‘Either location appeals to me’ or ‘Neither option sounds good’.

Preference surveys work well with intermediate learners who have opinions about everything. Students ask each other to choose between two options (tea or coffee, cats or dogs, books or films) and report back: ‘Both Sarah and Tom prefer coffee’ or ‘Neither of them likes horror films’.

Decision-making scenarios mirror real adult conversations. Present two job offers, two holiday destinations, or two housing options. Students discuss the pros and cons, then state their preferences using the target language.

Error awareness exercises

Peer correction activities help students notice their own mistakes. Write sentences with deliberate errors on the board and have pairs spot and fix them. ‘I don’t like neither candidate’ becomes ‘I like neither candidate’ when students work together to identify the double negative.

Mistake hunt competitions add a game element. Teams compete to find and correct the most errors in a paragraph containing multiple either/neither/both mistakes. The winning team explains why each correction is necessary.

Reformulation practice builds accuracy. Give students incorrect sentences and ask them to write two correct versions: ‘I don’t like neither’ becomes both ‘I like neither’ and ‘I don’t like either’.

Activity	Student Task	Target Structure	Time
Hot seats game	Show agreement cards, make sentences	Both/neither of us think…	15 mins
Would-you-rather	Choose and justify between options	Either…or, neither appeals	20 mins
New classmate roleplay	Find common preferences	Both of us like…	25 mins
Mistake hunt	Spot and correct errors in pairs	All structures mixed	10 mins

When should you introduce either, neither and both to your students?

These quantifiers suit B1 intermediate learners who have mastered basic verb forms and can express simple preferences but need more sophisticated ways to discuss choices and agreements.

B1 readiness indicators

Students need solid present simple and basic modal verbs before tackling either, neither, and both. They should comfortably express preferences with ‘I like’, ‘I prefer’, and ‘I don’t like’ before learning these more nuanced quantifiers.

Watch for students trying to express complex choices with basic language: ‘I like this restaurant and I like that restaurant too’ instead of ‘I like both restaurants’. This signals readiness for the more economical quantifier forms.

Students should also handle basic agreement and disagreement (‘I agree’, ‘I don’t think so’) before learning ‘both of us think’ or ‘neither of us believes’.

Sequencing the introduction

Start with either in questions because it feels most natural to B1 learners: ‘Which would you prefer — tea or coffee?’ ‘Either is fine.’ Students already understand choice-making from everyday interactions.

Introduce both next for positive agreement: ‘Both options sound good’ or ‘Both films were excellent’. The meaning feels intuitive, and the always-plural rule is straightforward to remember.

Save neither until students are comfortable with the other two. The negative meaning and potential for double negatives make it the most challenging of the three quantifiers.

Building towards fluency

Integrate these quantifiers into broader choice contexts rather than teaching them in isolation. When students work with first and second conditional structures, they naturally need language for discussing multiple possibilities.

Repeated exposure through varied contexts helps more than intensive drilling. Use them in preference surveys, decision-making tasks, and opinion discussions throughout the level rather than concentrating them in one week.

Connection to real adult decision-making keeps the language relevant. Career choices, housing decisions, travel planning, and relationship discussions all generate natural contexts for these quantifiers.

Stage	Target Form	Student Can Do	Next Step
Introduction	Either in questions	Choose between options	Add both for agreement
Development	Both for positive agreement	Express shared preferences	Introduce neither
Practice	Neither (avoiding double negatives)	Reject options cleanly	Integrate all three
Fluency	All forms in natural contexts	Discuss complex choices	Use in conditional contexts

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between either, neither and both?

Either offers choice between two options (one or the other), neither rejects both options (not one and not the other), and both includes both options together (the first and the second).

Is both singular or plural in English grammar?

Both is always plural and requires plural verbs, even in constructions with ‘of’ like ‘both of them are happy’, never ‘both of them is happy’.

How do you use either/neither with of?

Use ‘either of’ or ‘neither of’ with plural pronouns or definite nouns (either of them, neither of the books). Either takes plural verbs, neither takes singular verbs in formal usage.

What are common mistakes with either/neither/both?

B1 students often create double negatives (‘I don’t like neither’), confuse verb agreement (‘both of them is’), and overuse both for three or more items instead of ‘all’.

What CEFR level should either/neither/both be taught at?

These quantifiers are appropriate for B1 intermediate level when students have solid present simple and can express basic preferences. The communicative need emerges naturally in choice-making contexts.

Related Articles

• First and Second Conditional Explained
• Contrast Connectors Explained
• Best Grammar ESL Lessons 2026

Ready to teach either, neither and both through real-world choice scenarios? This B1 lesson uses a thought-provoking video about daily decisions to generate natural production of all three quantifiers in 60 minutes. Open this lesson.