Word usage: “either” or “both”

either-oridiomsmeaningneither-norword-choice

Consider the following usages:

  1. Either the book and the pen are neither in the pocket nor in the backpack of either Sally or Peter.

  2. Both the book and the pen are neither in the pocket nor in the backpack of either Sally or Peter.

  3. Both the book and the pen are not in the pocket or the backpack of Sally and Peter.

Which of the three sentences is correct?

What I am trying to mean is that "the book is not in the pocket of Sally; the book is not in the backpack of Sally; the book is not in the pocket of Peter; the book is not in the backpack of peter". And same thing for the pen.

Can they be improved?

The question focuses on the word usage and English grammar of "either", "neither", and "both". This is strictly not a logic puzzle because meaning is very clear: nothing is the pocket of anyone.

Best Answer

1.  Either the book and the pen are neither in the pocket nor in the backpack of either Sally or Peter.

That is incorrect. Either needs or as its correlative conjunction partner, and are should be is. Corrected:

    Either the book or the pen is neither in the pocket nor in the backpack of either Sally or Peter.

Now that means either the book or the pen is missing. If the book is missing, the pen is not. If the pen is missing, the book is not. But that is not what you are trying to say.

2.  Both the book and the pen are neither in the pocket nor in the backpack of either Sally or Peter.

That is grammatically okay. It means both the book and the pen are missing; they are not in either of two pockets or either of two backpacks. That is what you are trying to say.

3.  Both the book and the pen are not in the pocket or the backpack of Sally and Peter.

That is grammatically okay, but it means that Sally and Peter share one backpack and one pocket. That is not what you are trying to say.

If this goes beyond an exercise, you should say it in plain English:

    The book and the pen are not in Sally’s or Peter’s pocket or backpack.
    Neither the book nor the pen is in Sally’s or Peter’s pocket or backpack.

Related Topic