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Tenacious Learner Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

Both (of) + are / Neither of + 'is'

Hi teachers,
Is that the reason?
Do we use the verb 'are' in plural in the following sentence because we are talking about two cars together.
Both (the two) of the cars are expensive.
Do we use the verb 'is' in singular in the following sentence because we are talking about each car separately?
Or is it because 'neither' is an indefinite pronoun, an indefinite pronouns take singular verbs?
Neither (one) of the cars is expensive.

Are they suitable definitions?
Both means ‘the one and the other’.
Neither means ‘not one and not the other’.

Thanks in advance.
  

Top answer

Both (the two) of the cars are expensive. Yes. That's a reasonable explanation.

— CalifJim

  • Both (the two) of the cars are expensive.
  • Yes.
  • That's a reasonable explanation.
  • Neither (one) of the cars is expensive.
  • You can explain it either way.
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9 Answers
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Thinking SpainDo we use the verb 'are' in plural in the following sentence because we are talking about two cars together.Both (the two) of the cars are expensive.
Yes. That's a reasonable explanation.
Thinking SpainDo we use the verb 'is' in singular in the following sentence because we are talking about each car separately?Or is it b
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Thinking SpainDo we use the verb 'are' in plural in the following sentence because we are talking about two cars together.
Both (the two) of the cars are expensive.
Yes. Both is always plural.
Thinking SpainDo we use the verb 'is' in singular in the following sentence because we are talking about each car separately?
Or i
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Hi Jim,
Thank you so much for your reply. I'm happy that I was right. It doesn't happen very often.Emotion: smile

TS
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Aspara GusNote that many would not regard Neither of the cars are expenseive as wrong because this use is so common these days, probably even more common.
Hi Aspara Gus,
Thank you so much for your reply and additional comments too. I tell that to my students too. The plural is used in every day speech.

TS
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Aspara GusNeither means not one or the other.
This doesn't seem right to me.

Neither of the cars is red. = One of the (two) cars is not red or? the other car is not red.

It seems to allow that if one car is blue and the other red, you can still say "Neither of the cars is red".

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CalifJimThis doesn't seem right to me.
Neither of the cars is red. = One of the (two) cars is not red or? the other car is not red.
It seems to allow that if one car is blue and the other red, you can still say "Neither of the cars is red".
I see where you're coming from. Many dictionaries define it that way, so I went with it. I think it is more accur
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Aspara GusI think it is more accurately not one nor the other.
Sounds good to me. One of the definitions of 'nor' is 'and not', so how could I disagree?
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When I read Neither means ‘not one and not the other’ I objected right away because and seemed to contradict the word's singular nature, so I went with the dictionary's definition: not one thing or the other, which accounts for the singularity.

Have I lost my marbles here? Do you have an opinion, CJ?

Thanks
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Aspara GusHave I lost my marbles here?
No. There's often a conflict between formal logic and ordinary-language logic. In fact, at the university I attended there were two courses you could take: Formal Logic and Ordinary-Language Logic.
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