The Sunday News
Take note that we use both neither and either when we are talking about two things. You can use these words with a noun: both shops are very good. (not ‘the both shops) Neither shop is expensive. We can go to either shop. I don’t mind. (either = one or the other, it doesn’t matter which one. I didn’t like either shop. 9not the one or the other).You can also use both/neither/either with of . . . When you use these words with of, you always the, these, those, my, your, his etc. You cannot say ‘both of shops. You have to say ‘both of the shops,’ both of these restaurants’. And so on. Both of these shops are very good. Neither of the shops we went to was (or were) expensive. We can go to either of these shops I don’t mind.
With both you can leave out of. So you can say: both my friends and both of my friends. After both of/neither of/either of you can also use us/you/them. Can either of you answer this question? I wanted Laura and Flora to come but neither of them wanted to. You must say ‘both of’ before us/you/them: Both of us were early today. (not Both us . . .)After neither of . . . you can use a singular or a plural verb: Neither of the boys was/were punished for the offence. Neither of them is/are married. You can say both . . . and . . . neither . . . nor . . . and either . . . or . . . Study these examples: Both Lisa and Mary came to the party. They were both tired and hungry. Neither Lisa nor Mary came to the party. She promised to contact the headmaster but she neither wrote nor phoned. He is either South African or Angolan. Either you return the money you took or I will call the police.
You can also use both/neither/either alone: Is she a teacher or nurse? Neither. She is an agronomist. Do you want tea or coffee? Either. I don’t mind. She couldn’t decide which one to choose. She liked both.
Use of much, many, little, few, a lot, and plenty. We use much and little with uncountable nouns: much time, much luck, little energy, and little money. We use many and few with plural nouns: many people, many friends, few cars, and few countries.A lot (of), lots (of) and plenty (of): We use a lot of/ lots of/plenty of with uncountable and plural nouns: a lot of work, a lot of people, lots of time, lots of books, plenty of money and plenty of ideas.
Plenty = more than enough: We had plenty of food such that we declined to take more. If you leave early there would be no need to hurry since you will be having plenty of time.
We use much and many mainly in negative sentences and questions: She didn’t spend much money in her wedding. He has many friends to rely on when he has problems. In positive sentences it is usually better to use a lot (of). Much is especially unusual in positive sentences.
He drank a lot of water. (not ‘he drank much water’). But we use too much and so much in positive sentences. She failed to take tea claiming it had too much sugar in it.Little/a little, few/a few: Little and few (without a) are negative ideas. We had to rush to class because we had little time remaining. (not much, not enough time). He is unpopular. He has few friends. (= not many, not enough friends). We also use very little and very few: We have very little water left in the pool. He has very few friends.
A little and a few are more positive ideas. A little/a few = some, a small amount or a small number. They got to the station with little time to spare so they couldn’t go and have some drinks before the train left. (= some time, enough time to have a drink). –Have you got enough money? Yes, a little. Do you want to borrow some? (a little = not much but enough for you to borrow some.)I have a few friends and we meet quite often. (a few friends = not many but enough to have a good time. When did you last visit the doctor? ‘A few days ago’. (= some days ago). But “only a little” and “only a few” have a negative meaning: Hurry up! We’ve only got a little time. The settlement was very small. There were only a few houses scattered around.
Using these little words correctly leads to better writing and improved performance in English Language.
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