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Anonymous Posted 16 years ago
Grammar
Negation and neither/nor
I am a little confused as I have heard many different versions...
Is it correct to say:
"He cannot be here. Nor can he be there."?
Or should I use "neither" although it is implied in the first proposition?
I've also been told this is not the best/most idiomatic way to use this and I should have the two clauses (neither/nor) explicit and parallel in one sentence. However I am not sure how to build one sentence that makes sense here, with the negative "cannot" to begin...and I thought this was a suitable register for my essay!
Thanks if you're willing to help!
Is it correct to say:
"He cannot be here. Nor can he be there."?
Or should I use "neither" although it is implied in the first proposition?
I've also been told this is not the best/most idiomatic way to use this and I should have the two clauses (neither/nor) explicit and parallel in one sentence. However I am not sure how to build one sentence that makes sense here, with the negative "cannot" to begin...and I thought this was a suitable register for my essay!
Thanks if you're willing to help!
Top answer
Nor is used as a conjunction in your example. Therefore a full stop/period before it isn't a good idea unless you want to use it for stylistic reasons. This is from a dictionary: " nor; nor yet; no more: Bob can't go, and neither can I.
- Nor is used as a conjunction in your example.
- Therefore a full stop/period before it isn't a good idea unless you want to use it for stylistic reasons.
- This is from a dictionary: " nor; nor yet; no more: Bob can't go, and neither can I.
- " Thus: He cannot be here, [and] neither can he be there.
- I cannot envisage a situation in which anyone would utter the awkward sentence even though it is grammatically correct.
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5 Answers
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Nor is used as a conjunction in your example. Therefore a full stop/period before it isn't a good idea unless you want to use it for stylistic reasons. This is from a dictionary:
"nor; nor yet; no more: Bob can't go, and neither can I. If she doesn't want it, neither do I."
Thus: He cannot be here, [and] neither can he be there.
I cannot envi
"nor; nor yet; no more: Bob can't go, and neither can I. If she doesn't want it, neither do I."
Thus: He cannot be here, [and] neither can he be there.
I cannot envi
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AnonymousI am a little confused as I have heard many different versions...
Is it correct to say:
"He cannot be here. Nor can he be there."?
Hi,
"He cannot be here. He can be there neither".
Or
"He can be neither here nor there"
Thanks.
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Thanks for the replies!
I suppose I will go for He cannot be here, [and] neither can he be there.
It seems a little clearer to me, but above all I suppose it keeps a bit of the style I originally wanted. Obviously I have not given an example straight from my essay, but the negation is in fact quite central - if it wasn't for it there would be no grounds on which t
I suppose I will go for He cannot be here, [and] neither can he be there.
It seems a little clearer to me, but above all I suppose it keeps a bit of the style I originally wanted. Obviously I have not given an example straight from my essay, but the negation is in fact quite central - if it wasn't for it there would be no grounds on which t
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From Oxford Learner's Dictionary:
not... nor... = and not
Ex: He wasn't there on Monday. Nor on Tuesday, for that matter.
not... nor... = and not
Ex: He wasn't there on Monday. Nor on Tuesday, for that matter.
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Oh, thanks!
This is an excellent source in fact - I'd never realised it was online and I could use it for grammar rules.
Still from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary:
"2. used before a positive verb to agree with sth negative that has just been said" (-Somehow, abstract rules make more sense to me...)
Ex: ‘I’m not going.’ ‘Nor am I.’
Problem definitively
This is an excellent source in fact - I'd never realised it was online and I could use it for grammar rules.
Still from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary:
"2. used before a positive verb to agree with sth negative that has just been said" (-Somehow, abstract rules make more sense to me...)
Ex: ‘I’m not going.’ ‘Nor am I.’
Problem definitively
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