Accordingtothetraditionalrule,neitherisusedonlytomean“notoneortheotheroftwo.”Toreferto“noneofseveral,”noneispreferred:
按传统规则,neither只用于表示“不是这个也不是另一个”.要指“多个中一个也没有”时最好用none:
None(notneither)ofthethreeoppositioncandidateswouldmakeabetterpresidentthantheincumbent.·
三位反对党总统候选人中的任何一个(不用neither)
都比在任者强.·
Thetraditionalruleholdsthateithershouldbeusedonlytorefertooneoftwoitemsandthatanyisrequiredwhenmorethantwoitemsareinvolved:
传统规则认为either只能用于指两者之一,如果涉及多于两者的情况时,应用any:
Any(noteither)ofthethreeoppositioncandidatesstillintheracewouldmakeabetterpresidentthantheincumbent.
正在参加竞选的三个反对党候选人中的任何(不是either)一个都会比现任总统干得更好.
Butreputablewritershaveoftenviolatedthisrule,andinanycaseitappliesonlytotheuseofeitherasapronounoranadjective.Wheneitherisusedasaconjunctionnoparaphrasewithanyisavailable,andsoeitherisunexceptionableevenwhenitappliestomorethantwoclauses:
但是许多著名作家经常违反这个规则,这种情况只见于either用作代名词或形容词时.当either用作连接词时,any没有相应的替代词,所以即使用来连接多于两个从句时,也要用either:
Eithertheunionwillmakeacounterofferortheoriginalbidwillberefusedbytheboardorthedealwillgoaheadasscheduled.·
或者工会提出一个相反的建议,或者董事会拒绝原来的要价,或者这事按原计划进行.
Ineither...orconstructions,thetwoconjunctionsshouldbefollowedbyparallelelements.Thefollowingisregardedasincorrect:Youmayeitherhavetheringorthebracelet(properly,Youmayhaveeithertheringorthebracelet).Thefollowingisalsoincorrect:Shecantakeeithertheexaminationofferedtoallapplicantsoraskforapersonalinterview(properly,Shecaneithertake...).·Whenusedasapronoun,eitherissingularandtakesasingularverb:Thetwoleft-wingpartiesdisagreewitheachothermorethaneitherdoes(notdo)withtheright.Whenfollowedbyofandapluralnoun,eitherisoftenusedwithapluralverb:
在either…or结构中,两个连接词后应跟并列成分.下面这句话被认为是不正确的:Youmayeitherhavetheringorthebracelet,正确的应是Youmayhaveeithertheringorthebracelet(你既可以有戒指也可以有手镯)下面这句也是不对的:Shecantakeeithertheexaminationofferedtoallapplicantsoraskforapersonalinterview.正确的应是,Shecaneithertake…(她可以参加提供给所有申请人的考试,也可以要求一个单独面试.)作为代名词时,either是单数,动词应用单数形式:Thetwoleft-wingpartiesdisagreewitheachothermorethaneitherdoes(不用do)withtheright.(两个左翼党之间的分歧比任何一个与右翼党的分歧都要大)当后面接of和一个复数名词的时候,either经常与动词复数形式配合:
Eitherofthepartieshaveenoughsupporttoformagovernment.
这些政党中任一个都有足够的支持来组阁一个政府.
Butthisusageiswidelyregardedasincorrect;inanearliersurveyitwasrejectedby92percentoftheUsagePanel.·Whenalltheelementsinaneither...orconstruction(oraneither...norconstruction)usedasthesubjectofasentencearesingular,theverbissingular:
但是这种用法通常被认为是不正确的,在以前的调查中它被用法使用小组百分之九十二的成员所否定.当作为句中主语的either…or结构(或neither…nor结构)中的所有成分都是单数的时候,动词也应用单数:
EitherEveorHerbhasbeeninvited.
伊夫和赫伯都被邀请了.
Analogously,whenalltheelementsintheeither...orconstructionareplural,theverbispluraltoo:
类似地,当所有either…or结构中的成分都是复数的时候,动词也应用复数:
EithertheClarksortheKayshavebeeninvited.
克拉克全家和凯全家都被邀请了.
Whentheconstructionmixessingularandpluralelements,however