Let's break down both, either, neither, so, and nor for your B1 preparation. These words are super
useful for connecting ideas and agreeing or disagreeing. Think of them as tools to make your English
sound more natural.
Here's a simple explanation focusing on what you need for B1:
1. BOTH (Ambos / Los dos / Tanto... como...)
 Use: To talk about two things together, emphasizing that something is true for both of them.
 Form 1: both + noun + and + noun
 Example: Both Spain and Italy are in Europe. (Tanto España como Italia están en
Europa.)
 Example: I like both tea and coffee. (Me gustan ambos, el té y el café / Me gusta tanto el
té como el café.)
 Form 2: both + adjective + and + adjective
 Example: The exam was both long and difficult. (El examen fue tanto largo como difícil
/ largo y difícil a la vez.)
 Form 3: both referring back to two things/people
 Example: "Do you want the red shirt or the blue shirt?" "I'll buy both." (Compraré los
dos.)
 Important Tip (¡Ojo!): both of + pronoun/determiner
 Use of before pronouns like us, them, you.
 Example: Both of us want to pass the B1. (Ambos queremos aprobar el B1.)
 Use of before determiners like the, my, these.
 Example: Both of my parents are from Madrid. (Mis dos padres son de Madrid.)
 You can often omit “of”l before determiners + nouns: Both my parents... is also okay.
But with pronouns (us, them), you need of.
2. EITHER (Uno u otro / O... o... / Cualquiera de los dos)
 Use: To talk about a choice between two options. Only one option is possible or will be chosen.
 Form 1: either + noun + or + noun
 Example: You can have either tea or coffee. (Puedes tomar o té o café.)
 Form 2: either + adjective + or + adjective
 Example: He's either shy or just unfriendly. (Él es o tímido o simplemente antipático.)
 Form 3: either referring back to two options
 Example: "Would you like tea or coffee?" "Either is fine." (Cualquiera de los dos está
bien.)
 Important Tip (¡Ojo!): either of + pronoun/determiner
 Use of similarly to both of. It means "one or the other" of the two.
 Example: I don't like either of these jackets. (No me gusta ninguna de estas dos
chaquetas - meaning you don't like jacket 1, and you don't like jacket 2).
 Example: Can either of you help me? (¿Puede ayudarme alguno de vosotros dos?)
3. NEITHER (Ni... ni... / Ninguno de los dos)
 Use: To talk about two things together, emphasizing that something is NOT true for both of
them. It's like a negative "both".
 VERY IMPORTANT (¡¡MUY IMPORTANTE!!): Neither itself is negative. So, the verb that
follows is usually positive. This is different from Spanish where you often use double negatives
(No me gusta ni...). In English, AVOID DOUBLE NEGATIVES with neither.
 Form 1: neither + noun + nor + noun (Notice nor, not or!)
 Example: Neither María nor Juan came to the party. (Ni María ni Juan vinieron a la
fiesta.) -> Verb came is positive.
 Example: I speak neither French nor German. (No hablo ni francés ni alemán.) -> Verb
speak is positive.
 Form 2: neither + adjective + nor + adjective
 Example: He is neither friendly nor helpful. (Él no es ni simpático ni servicial.) -> Verb
is is positive.
 Form 3: neither referring back to two options
 Example: "Which do you prefer, tea or coffee?" "Neither." (Ninguno de los dos.)
 Important Tip (¡Ojo!): neither of + pronoun/determiner
 Use of similarly to both of. It means "not one and not the other" of the two. Remember
the positive verb!
 Example: Neither of us speaks Japanese. (Ninguno de nosotros habla japonés.) -> Verb
speaks is positive.
 Example: Neither of the answers is correct. (Ninguna de las dos respuestas es correcta.)
4. SO / NOR (También / Tampoco - but with different structure!)
 Use: To show agreement with what someone else has said. So for positive agreement, Nor for
negative agreement.
 VERY IMPORTANT : The structure is different from Spanish 'yo también' or 'yo tampoco'.
You need an auxiliary verb (do, be, have, modal like can/will) and the word order is inverted.
 Form: So / Nor + auxiliary verb + Subject
 Positive Agreement (So = También):
 A: "I am tired." B: "So am I." (Yo también.) -> Auxiliary 'am'
 A: "I like paella." B: "So do I." (A mí también.) -> Auxiliary 'do'
 A: "She has finished." B: "So has he." (Él también.) -> Auxiliary 'has'
 A: "We can swim." B: "So can they." (Ellos también.) -> Modal 'can'
 Negative Agreement (Nor = Tampoco):
 A: "I am not hungry." B: "Nor am I." (Yo tampoco.)
 A: "I don't like horror films." B: "Nor do I." (A mí tampoco.)
 A: "He hasn't arrived." B: "Nor has she." (Ella tampoco.)
 A: "They can't come." B: "Nor can we." (Nosotros tampoco.)
 Alternative for Nor: You can also use Neither in the same way for negative agreement:
Neither am I, Neither do I, etc. It means exactly the same as Nor.
Key Takeaways for B1:
 Both = 2 things together (positive).
 Either = Choice between 2 things.
 Neither = 2 things together (negative - remember: positive verb!). Use nor with it.
 So = Agree with positive statement (like también, but So + aux + Subj).
 Nor/Neither = Agree with negative statement (like tampoco, but Nor/Neither + aux + Subj).
 Remember both of, either of, neither of before pronouns (us, them, you).
You can do it!
Exercise 1: Choose the Correct Option
Complete the sentences by choosing the best word or phrase (a, b, or c).
1."Which university are you applying to, Complutense or Autónoma?"
"Actually, I'm applying to _______. I think they offer the best courses for me."
a) both
b) either
c) neither
2.The problem is that I have _______ the qualifications _______ the experience needed for that job.
a) both / and
b) either / or
c) neither / nor
3.You can _______ take the metro _______ catch the bus to get to the city centre. _______ way takes about
20 minutes.
a) neither / nor / Both
b) either / or / Either
c) both / and / Neither
4.A: "I wasn't very keen on the film last night."
B: "_______ was I. It was quite boring, wasn't it?"
a) So
b) Nor
c) Either
5.My sister _______ passed her driving test, which is amazing!
a) and I both have
b) has both
c) and I have both
6._______ of my flatmates remembered to buy milk, so we can't have coffee this morning.
a) Both
b) Either
c) Neither
7.A: "I've already finished my part of the project."
B: "Really? _______ have I! We're faster than the others."
a) So
b) Nor
c) Neither
8.The hotel was _______ clean _______ comfortable. I wouldn't recommend it.
a) both / and
b) either / or
c) neither / nor
Exercise 2: Sentence Transformation
Rewrite the second sentence or combine the two sentences using the word(s) in brackets, making any necessary
changes. Pay attention to verb forms.
1.I don't enjoy studying late at night. My brother doesn't enjoy it either. (Neither)
I don't enjoy studying late at night, and __________________________________ my brother.
2.You could send an email. Alternatively, you could make a quick phone call. (either... or)
You could ___________________________________________________________.
3.This restaurant isn't cheap. It also isn't particularly good. (neither... nor)
This restaurant is _____________________________________________________.
4.Marta speaks fluent English. Her cousin speaks fluent English too. (Both...)
_____________________________________________________ speak fluent English.
5.He didn't apologise for being late. He didn't offer any explanation. (neither... nor - using verbs)
He _________________________________________________________________.
6.I haven't finished reading the book yet. (Nor / I)
A: "Clara hasn't finished reading the book yet."
B: "__________________________________________________________."
7.We were very surprised by the news. (So / they)
A: "We were very surprised by the news."
B: "__________________________________________________________."
Exercise 3: Complete the Mini-Dialogues
Fill in the gaps with ONE appropriate word ( both , either , neither , so , nor , and , or ).
Dialogue 1
A: Are you free on Saturday evening? We could go (1)_______ for tapas (2)_______ see that new Almodóvar film.
B: Hmm, (3)_______ sounds good, but I need to check my schedule. I know I'm busy on Sunday, though.
A: Oh, (4)_______ am I. I have to study for an exam.
B: Right. Well, let me know about Saturday. If I'm busy, maybe we can do something next week?
A: Sure. But I hope you can make it! (5)_______ tapas (6)_______ the film would be fun.
Dialogue 2
A: That lecture was incredibly confusing. I didn't understand a thing!
B: (7)_______ did I! It was (8)_______ too fast (9)_______ too complicated.
A: Exactly. I spoke to Laura and David afterwards, and (10)_______ of them understood it (11)_______ .
B: Really? Well, at least we're not the only ones!
Exercise 4: Error Correction
Find the mistake in each sentence and correct it. The mistakes are related to the grammar points studied.
1.Neither the teacher or the students knew the answer.
Correction: _____________________________________________________
2.I can't decide which shoes to buy. I like the both.
Correction: _____________________________________________________
3.A: "I don't like spicy food." B: "So don't I."
Correction: _____________________________________________________
4.She didn't buy neither the red dress nor the blue one.
Correction: _____________________________________________________
5.Both of these options looks good to me.
Correction: _____________________________________________________
6.You must either finish your homework or helping me with the dinner.
Correction: _____________________________________________________