You write “I don’t want neither coffee nor tea” and something feels wrong, but you can’t explain why. Or you say “neither him nor me are going” in a meeting and feel unsure the moment the words leave your mouth. These are two of the most common mistakes at the intermediate level, and the fix becomes clear once you understand how neither and nor actually work together.
By the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to do four things: form correct neither…nor sentences, match the verb to the right subject, keep parallel structure, and choose between neither…nor and the more casual “not…either.” Each section builds on the last, so read through in order.
This lesson covers the neither and nor structure from the ground up, real rules explained through real examples, with the context you need to actually use them. At Your Daily American, that’s exactly what every grammar lesson is built to do.
Neither and Nor: Meaning and How the Structure Works
The meaning in plain English
Neither…nor means “not A and not B.” You use it to reject two options at the same time. Compare it to either…or, which presents a choice: “You can either call or email me.” Neither…nor does the opposite: “I have neither the time nor the energy for this right now.” One structure opens possibilities. The other closes them both.
Also notice: neither…nor is already negative. You do not need to add “not” or “don’t”, the structure handles the negation on its own, and this matters a lot. More on that in section 3.
Everyday and workplace examples
Here are six examples that show neither…nor in action, from casual to professional:
- “She wants neither pasta nor salad tonight.”
- “I have neither my wallet nor my phone.”
- “Neither the café nor the library was open.”
- “Neither the client nor the manager approved the change.”
- “The report is neither complete nor accurate.”
- “Neither option was included in the proposal.”
Neither…nor works across both casual and professional English. In speech, it sounds slightly more formal than “not…either,” which we’ll compare directly in section 5.
The neither…or trap
A very common mistake is mixing up the pairs. “I speak neither French or German” sounds wrong because neither always pairs with nor, and either always pairs with or. They never cross. For a focused explanation of the either…or pairing, see Either and Or: The Grammar Rule You Need to Know.
Wrong: “Neither the printer or the scanner is working.”
Right: “Neither the printer nor the scanner is working.”
In standard English, the rule is straightforward: if you start with neither, finish with nor, every time. Colloquial speech may vary, but in any formal or written context, neither and nor always go together. For an authoritative brief on these forms, consult the Cambridge Dictionary’s guide to neither, nor, and not either.
Neither and Nor, Subject-Verb Agreement
When both subjects are singular
When both subjects in a neither…nor sentence are singular, use a singular verb. “Neither the manager nor the client is available” uses “is,” not “are,” because both subjects are singular. The same logic applies to “Neither the dog nor the cat wants to go outside.” This part is usually straightforward. The harder part comes when one subject is singular and the other is plural.
One related note: when you use “neither of” before a plural noun, for example, “neither of the students”, formal English treats the subject as singular. So the correct form is “Neither of the students is correct,” not “are correct.” This follows the same singular logic as the standard neither…nor construction.
When one subject is plural: the proximity rule
The proximity rule means the verb agrees with the subject nearest to it, the one that comes right before the verb. “Neither the teacher nor the students are ready” uses “are” because “students” is plural and closest to the verb. Flip the order: “Neither the students nor the teacher is ready” uses “is” because now “teacher” is closest.
Same people, same situation, different verb. The order of the subjects changes the verb form. Once you see how the proximity rule works, applying it in your own writing becomes much more natural. For additional notes on common confusion with neither and nor, see Grammarly’s guide to neither and nor.
The easiest fix when mixing singular and plural
In practice, the simplest solution is to put the plural subject second. This gives you a plural verb, which usually sounds more natural in both speech and writing. “Neither the report nor the presentations were ready” flows more easily than “Neither the presentations nor the report was ready.” Both are grammatically correct, but the first version is less awkward to say and hear.
Parallel Structure: The Rule Most Learners Miss
What parallel structure means
Parallel structure means both parts of the sentence must use the same grammatical form. If neither is followed by a noun, nor must also be followed by a noun. If neither is followed by a verb in -ing form, nor must also use an -ing form. Here are three correct examples:
- Noun + noun: “She wants neither coffee nor tea.”
- Verb (-ing) + verb (-ing): “Neither studying at night nor waking up early works for me.”
- Adjective + adjective: “The report is neither clear nor accurate.”
When the forms on each side don’t match, the sentence sounds unnatural even if the meaning is clear.
The most common parallelism mistakes and how to fix them
Gerund vs. infinitive: “Neither studying at night nor to wake up early works for me.” The problem is mixing an -ing form with an infinitive. The fix: “Neither studying at night nor waking up early works for me.” Both sides now use the -ing form.
Noun vs. infinitive: “I like neither apples nor to eat oranges.” The fix depends on what you want to say. If you’re listing foods: “I like neither apples nor oranges” (both nouns). If you’re listing actions: “I neither like apples nor eat oranges” (both verbs). Pick one form and apply it consistently on both sides.
Adjective vs. noun phrase: “The meal was neither delicious nor a good experience.” The fix: “The meal was neither delicious nor enjoyable.” Both sides now use adjectives, and the sentence is clean.
Mixed verb forms in a workplace sentence: “He is neither going to the meeting nor attends the workshop.” The fix: “He is neither going to the meeting nor attending the workshop.” Both sides must follow the same verb pattern.
The double negative trap
Because neither…nor is already negative, adding “don’t” or “not” creates a double negative, which sounds wrong in standard American English.
Wrong: “I don’t want neither coffee nor tea.”
Right: “I want neither coffee nor tea.”
One negative is enough. This mistake is especially common for speakers of Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian, because double negatives are standard grammar in those languages. In American English, neither…nor handles the negation on its own, no extra negative word is needed.
Using Nor Without Neither
Starting a new sentence with nor
You can use nor at the start of a new sentence to add another negative point after a negative statement. This is more common in writing than in speech, and it sounds formal. When nor starts a sentence, the subject and the auxiliary verb (helping verb) switch positions, this is called inversion.
“I didn’t enjoy the meeting. Nor did my colleague.” Notice the word order: nor, then the auxiliary verb “did,” then the subject “my colleague”, not “Nor my colleague did.” Another example: “She hasn’t responded to the email. Nor has she called.” The structure is always: Nor + auxiliary verb + subject + main verb. When the original clause has no auxiliary, English inserts a dummy auxiliary (do, does, or did) to make the inversion work, for example, “He never complained. Nor did he ask for help.”
Using nor mid-sentence with a new subject
Nor can also connect two negative clauses inside one sentence when each clause has its own subject. The same inversion rule applies. “We didn’t receive any complaints, nor did the client mention any concerns.” “He hadn’t done the report, nor had he replied to the emails.” Notice: “nor did the client,” not “nor the client did.” The inversion is required every time nor introduces a new clause.
This structure is more concise than writing two separate negative sentences, which is why you’ll see it frequently in professional writing and formal emails. For practical advice and extra examples on how to use either, neither, or, and nor correctly, see this helpful guide from The Write Practice.
Neither…nor vs. Not…either: Which One to Choose
How they compare in meaning and structure
Both structures express the same idea: two things are both not true. The difference is in how they’re built and how formal they sound. Neither…nor joins two things in one sentence: “Neither Italy nor France qualified.” Not…either uses two clauses: “Italy didn’t qualify, and France didn’t either.” Same meaning, different structure and a different feel.
The neither…nor construction requires the proximity rule for verb agreement and parallel structure throughout. Not…either, on the other hand, keeps normal word order and allows more grammatical flexibility, which is one reason it comes more naturally in quick conversation. For a learner-focused comparison of either…or and neither…nor, check out Babbel’s either-or / neither-nor comparison.
Which one to use and when
In casual conversation, not…either sounds natural and relaxed. Most native speakers use it in everyday talk. In professional emails, presentations, or formal writing, neither…nor is the stronger choice. Here’s the same idea in both registers:
- Formal (email or report): “Neither the budget nor the timeline has been approved.”
- Casual (talking to a coworker): “The budget hasn’t been approved, and the timeline hasn’t either.”
When you’re unsure, default to neither…nor in any written or professional context. In everyday speech, both work fine. If you want a short rule to remember when choosing between the two patterns, see Either or Neither? The Simple Rule English Learners Need for a concise explanation.
Practice and Next Steps
Here are the five core neither and nor rules from this lesson:
- Structure: Neither always pairs with nor, never with or.
- Proximity rule: The verb agrees with the subject nearest to it.
- Parallel structure: Both sides of neither…nor must use the same grammatical form.
- No double negatives: Neither…nor is already negative. Don’t add “not” or “don’t.”
- Nor alone: When nor starts a clause or sentence, invert the subject and auxiliary verb.
Now try these three sentences. Each one has a mistake. Find it, then check the answer below.
Sentence 1: “Neither the manager or the team leader is attending.”
Answer: “or” should be “nor.” When using neither and nor, neither always pairs with nor, not or.
Sentence 2: “Neither studying late nor to wake up early helps me focus.”
Answer: “to wake up” should be “waking up.” Both sides must use the -ing form for parallel structure.
Sentence 3: “I don’t want neither option.”
Answer: Remove “don’t.” The correct sentence is “I want neither option.” Neither is already negative, so no extra negative word is needed.
Now you know how neither and nor work, and you have the rules to build correct sentences right away, whether you’re writing an email, giving a presentation, or just speaking more precisely in everyday situations. If this kind of lesson is useful to you, Your Daily American has a full grammar section built around how English is actually spoken and written by native speakers. Every lesson connects the rules to real situations: emails, conversations, meetings, and daily life.
Explore the grammar section and hundreds of other practical lessons at Your Daily American. Start with any topic that feels relevant to where you are right now, and keep building from there. If you want to strengthen the verb and tense foundations that support correct subject-verb agreement, begin with 12 English Verb Tenses: A Pocket Guide for Non-Native Speakers, Your Daily American.
