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Neither vs Never - What's the difference?

neither | never |

As adverbs the difference between neither and never

is that neither is (conjunctive) similarly not while never is at no time; on no occasion; in no circumstance.

As a determiner neither

is not one of two; not either.

As a pronoun neither

is not either one.

As a conjunction neither

is not either (used with nor).

neither

Determiner

(en determiner)
  • Not one of two; not either.
  • *{{quote-book, year=1959, author=(Georgette Heyer), title=(The Unknown Ajax), chapter=1
  • , passage=She was neither learned nor intelligent, but she contrived to dress both herself and her daughter out of a meagre jointure, supplying with her clever fingers what her purse could not buy;

    Pronoun

    (English Pronouns)
  • not either one
  • ... because neither is correct.

    Conjunction

    (English Conjunctions)
  • Not either (used with nor).
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-22, volume=407, issue=8841, page=68, magazine=(The Economist)
  • , title= T time , passage=The ability to shift profits to low-tax countries by locating intellectual property in them

    Adverb

    (-)
  • (conjunctive) similarly not
  • Just as you would not correct it, neither would I.

    Usage notes

    * Neither is used to mean none of two or more. Although some suggest that using the word neither with more than two items is incorrect, it has been commonly used to refer to more than two subjects since the 17th century. The more modern usage does prefer none with more than two things. * There is considerable variation in the number of the verb employed with this construction. :* Examples: ::* "That woman was neither a collector nor an art critic, but she understood the meaning I meant to give that work." — ::* "Has anyone ever loved you so much that they tried to kill you, or perhaps sucked you down into a hole so that you had to kill them to get away? Yeah, me neither." — ::* "You can make a lot of money in this game. Just ask my ex-wives. Both of them are so rich that neither of their husbands work." — ::* "As if it were gold and could be neither good nor bad nor worth more nor worth less but must always be worth the same no matter what." — ::* "Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet,
    ::: Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God's great Judgment Seat;
    ::: But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth,
    ::: When two strong men stand face to face, though they come from the ends of the earth!" — ::* "Neither you, Simon, nor the fifty thousand, nor the Romans, nor the Jews, nor Judas, nor the twelve, nor the priests, nor the scribes, nor doomed Jerusalem itself understand what power is, understand what glory is, understand at all." —

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    never

    English

    (wikipedia never)

    Adverb

    (-)
  • At no time; on no occasion; in no circumstance.
  • * 1634 , (w), (John Fletcher), , Act 2, Scene 4,
  • Why should I love this Gentleman? Tis odds / He never will affect me;
  • *
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=1 , passage=In the old days, to my commonplace and unobserving mind, he gave no evidences of genius whatsoever. He never read me any of his manuscripts, […], and therefore my lack of detection of his promise may in some degree be pardoned.}}
  • * 1908 , (Lucy Maud Montgomery), , Chapter XXI: A New Departure in Flavorings,
  • "I never thought you were so fond of Mr. Phillips that you'd require two handkerchiefs to dry your tears just because he was going away," said Marilla.
  • * 1919 , B. G. Jefferis, J. L. Nichols, ,
  • Never speak of the symptoms of your patient in his presence, unless questioned by the doctor, whose orders you are always to obey implicitly .
  • Not at any other time; not on any other occasion; not previously.
  • * 1601 Novenber 30, (Elizabeth I of England), ,
  • There is no jewel, be it of never so rich a price, which I set before this jewel: I mean your love.
  • * 1813 , (Jane Austen), , Chapter 4,
  • "He is just what a young man ought to be," said she, "sensible, good-humoured, lively; and I never saw such happy manners!--so much ease, with such perfect good breeding!"
  • * 1908 , (Lucy Maud Montgomery), , Chapter XIII: The Delights of Anticipation,
  • I never saw such an infatuated man.
  • (colloquial) Negative particle (used to negate verbs in the simple past tense; also used absolutely ).
  • Antonyms

    * always

    Derived terms

    * better late than never * I have never * never again * never-ending * never ever * never in a month of Sundays * never mind * nevermore * neverness * never say never * nevertheless * now or never * on the never never * you never know

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