Learn English – Correct use of or and nor

grammar

Which is the correct use of nor and or in the following sentence?

  • We pursued careers that we sought after and achieved,
    and entered others that we never expected or thought possible.

Is it “or” or is it “nor”. I say "or" is the correct grammar since "neither" is not used in the sentence. Would appreciate your answer.

Best Answer

We pursued careers that we sought after and achieved, and entered others that we never expected nor thought possible

That is correct, however whilst beautifully put, it is a very formal and literary way of putting it, so unless it is for that specific purpose (to be formal and literary) I would say something a little les constructed and well put, maybe along the lines of:

... that we that we didn't expect or think possible

For spoken English, or fairly informal correspondance

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