Lesson 1: When You Can't Use "Too" (and "As Well")
You can use too and as well after affirmative sentences. An affirmative sentence is a positive sentence ("I am a man"), NOT a negative sentence (I am NOT a man).
Correct Examples:
A: I like this song.
B: Me too. / I like it too. (= So do I. / I do as well. I also like it.)
--
A: I graduated from the University of British Columbia.
B: Really? Me too! / I did too! (= So did I. / I did as well. I also did.)
Incorrect Examples:
A: My mother can't drive a car.
B: My mother can't too. / My mother can't as well.
^ These sentences are wrong! The first sentence is negative (can NOT), so you cannot use too after it. You should say:
"My mother can't either." - or - "Neither can my mom."
A: I haven't seen Michael today.
B: I haven't too. / I haven't seen him as well.
^ These are wrong too! The first sentence is negative (have NOT) again. You should say:
"I haven't seen him either." - or - "Neither have I."
Rule: when the verb is negative, you cannot use "too." Remember that we are talking about the verb and NOT the meaning of the message. For example, "I hate carrots." has a negative meaning, but the verb hate is not in a negative form. If you also hate carrots, you have to say "Me too!" since the previous sentence does not have "NOT" in it.
Note: The word never makes a sentence negative. For example, "I have never been there." / "Me neither." This is correct.
So what's the difference between either and neither? That's next.
Lesson 2: The Difference between Either and Neither
- The word "either" is used with a negative verb (e.g. have NOT).
- The word "neither" is used with an affirmative (positive) verb (e.g. have).
Both have the same meaning! Let's look at one of the previous examples.
A: My mother can't drive a car.
B: My mother can't (drive) either. / Neither can my mom.
^ Both of these answers are fine. Either goes at the end of a sentence that has a negative verb (can't). Neither goes at the beginning of a sentence before an affirmative verb (can). Both expressions have the same meaning.
Let's look at the second example:
A: I haven't seen Michael today.
B: I haven't (seen him) either. / Neither have I.
That is the basic rule.
Sounds too Hard? Answer The Easy Way: "Me too" or "Me neither / Me either!"
Usually we talk about ourselves. So when you want to say that something is also true for you, you can say the easy answer "Me too!" instead of longer answers like "So have I! / I have also! / I have as well!"
There is also an easy answer for negative sentences that are true for you. You can just say either "Me neither! / Me either!" instead of "Neither have I. / I haven't either." This is the easiest answer.
Which is better: "Me neither" or "Me either"?
"Me either" has 9.8 million hits on Google. "Me neither" has 4.4 million hits. This suggests that "Me either" is a bit more common but you can use whichever you want.
Do you think you understand? Take the Quiz!
A: I'm hungry.
B: . I want to buy lunch but I don't have any money.
A: . I hate being poor.
B: .
Answers
B: Me too / So am I / I am too.
A: Me (n)either / Neither do I. / I don't either.
B: Me too / So do I / I do too.
My mother doesn't have a job, and ( neither / father).
I can't drive a car, and ( brother / either).
You haven't been to Taiwan. And (I / either).
Paul hasn't done his homework. (neither / Jane).
Answers
... neither does my father
.... my brother can't (drive a car) either
.... I haven't (been to Taiwan) either
.... Neither has Jane.
This restaurant is cheap. The food is good .
I can't understand this question. My mother can't .
Answers
neither
too
either
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I hope this is helpful. There are (of course) more advanced ways to use either and neither. But this should be a good first step. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below.
Good luck with your studies!
Matthew Barton / EnglishCurrent.com
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Thank you! Very helpful. I ‘m using your ideas for my adult ed class at the library.
Is it correct to use in short answers . I don’t like onions.nor does he
Yes, that short answer is correct, though it sounds a bit old fashioned. “Neither does he” would be more common, in my opinion.
Great , thank you .
Thanks now was more easier to me
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This is very interesting and helpful for all children’s ad well as elders. I love it because of it I can study now and score nice marks in exam
As good as it gets
Thanks
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change this sentence into affirmative. I’m not fine and neither is my sister.
I’m fine and so is my sister.
Is ok ok if I say, Either my sister and I am fine?
I really loved it! Exactly what I was looking for.
It’s Absolutely Brilliant! However, I’d Be Much More Obliged If You Could Shorten The Lesson Using A Chat. Thanks So Much.
very nice exercise
Very precise and extremely useful. God bless all your endeavours
What if there are two different situations? One is, “Jane doesn’t have a guitar.” and “Dave has a guitar”. How are we going to use neither,either,so,do and too?
You cannot use neither/either/so/too in your example because there are not two things that are the same. Therefore, you should use a word like ‘but’ to indicate contrast. E.g. ‘Jane doesn’t have a guitar, but Dave has one.’
good exercise
I haven’t seen “either” of them for years
Is this correct
Or should it be
I haven’t seen “neither” of them for years
Hello Grace. The first one is correct. When you have a negative verb (have NOT), then you cannot use ‘neither’, because neither goes with a positive verb (e.g. “I’ve seen neither.” <-- this is correct, but I'd probably say "I haven't seen either" as it feels more natural.)
Hello, please help me!
A: I don’t like my sister’s boyfriend.
B: I don’t either
if B says that. It mean B doesn’t like sister’s boyfriend of A or B doesn’t like sister’s boyfriend of B?
Waiting for soon reply!
Tracy, good question. Technically, it could mean either. It would be very rare that A and B both have sisters who have boyfriends whom they dislike, so it’s more natural to assume that they both dislike the same person (A’s sister’s boyfriend). However, technically, it could mean either.
Hello, I have a question.
What would be an appropriate verb in this situation?
“I am not interested in dating, and neither _______ Liz and the other girl.”
Should I apply the rule for ‘neither…nor’ to this sentence?
That will make “is” the correct answer because the noun closest to the verb is singular, right?
Or should I take “Liz and the other girl” as a plural subject?
Also, will this apply to “so” in a similar sense?
Thank you for your reply in advance. :)
Hello. “are” is the answer. “Liz and the other girl” is plural. If you were to use ‘nor’, you’d have to add another group. E.g. “I’m not interested in dating, and neither are [Group1: Liz and the other girl] nor [Group 2: Kate and her friend.]” . You can use ‘neither’ with ‘are/were’. See this example: “Neither dinosaurs nor mammoths are alive today.” It would be insane to use “is” in this sentence. I hope this helps.
very useful and helpful
Thank you very useful.
Thanks a lot, this really helps
Then, what we use if we have negative +affirmative sentences according to trusted sources?
Can you give an example?