To vs Either - What's the difference?
to | either |
* 1711 , :
* , Scene 1:
* 2010 July, , headline [http://web.archive.org/web/20100705003703/http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gfMucgz8wUGUNUNXRyIyqzY6lWwQD9GM98N83]:
* {{quote-news
, year=2011
, date=April 10
, author=Alistair Magowan
, title=Aston Villa 1 - 0 Newcastle
, work=BBC Sport
In the direction of, and arriving at.
* 2013 September 28, , "
(arithmetic)
* {{quote-news
, year=2012
, date=April 22
, author=Sam Sheringham
, title=Liverpool 0-1 West Brom
, work=BBC Sport
(arithmetic) .
(time) Preceding.
(Canada, UK, Newfoundland, West Midlands) at
Toward a closed, touching or engaging position.
* 1913 ,
(nautical) Into the wind.
Each of two.
* (John Milton) (1608-1674)
* 1936 , (Djuna Barnes), (Nightwood) , Faber & Faber 2007, page 31:
One or the other of two.
* {{quote-news, passage=You can't be a table and a chair. You're either a Jew or a gentile.
, quotee=(Jackie Mason), year=2006, date=December 5, work=USA Today
, title= (coordinating)
* {{quote-book, year=1893, author=(Walter Besant), title=
, passage=Thus, when he drew up instructions in lawyer language
(obsolete) Both, each of two or more.
* , Bk.VII:
* (Francis Bacon) (1561-1626)
* , III.i:
* (1809-1894)
One or other of two people or things.
* 2013 , Daniel Taylor,
As well.
* {{quote-book, year=1959, author=(Georgette Heyer), title=(The Unknown Ajax), chapter=1
, passage=But Richmond
Introduces the first of two options, the second of which is introduced by "or".
As a noun to
is thaw, weather conditions that make snow and ice melt.As a determiner either is
each of two.As a pronoun either is
(obsolete) both, each of two or more.As an adverb either is
as well.As a conjunction either is
introduces the first of two options, the second of which is introduced by "or".to
English
Alternative forms
* (dialectal) ter * (contraction) t' * (abbreviation)Particle
(en-part)- I want to leave.
- He asked me what to do.
- I don’t know how to say it.
- I have places to''' go and people '''to see.
- To' err is human, ' to forgive divine.
- To be, or not to be: that is the question: /
- Odds are, BP to get new CEO this year
citation, page= , passage=To' that end, the home supporters were in good voice ' to begin with, but it was Newcastle who started the game in the ascendancy, with Barton putting a diving header over the top from Jose Enrique's cross.}}
- "Did you visit the museum?" "I wanted to , but it was closed."
- If he hasn't read it yet, he ought to .
Derived terms
* going to / gonna * got to / gotta * have to / hafta * ought to / oughta * supposed to / supposta * used to / usta * want to / wanna * fixing to / finnaPreposition
(English prepositions)- We are walking to the shop.
London Is Special, but Not That Special," New York Times (retrieved 28 September 2013):
- Driven by a perceived political need to adopt a hard-line stance, Mr. Cameron’s coalition government has imposed myriad new restrictions, the aim of which is to reduce net migration to Britain to below 100,000.
- He devoted himself to education.
- They drank to his health.
- That is something to do.
- His face was beaten to a pulp.
- similar to''' ...'', ''relevant '''to''' ...'', ''pertinent '''to''' ...'', ''I was nice '''to''' him'', ''he was cruel '''to''' her'', ''I am used '''to walking.
- one to one = 1:1
- ten to one = 10:1.
citation, page= , passage=In total, the Reds had 28 shots to their opponent's nine, and 15 corners to the Baggies' three.}}
- Three squared or three to the second power is nine.
- Three to the power of two is nine.
- Three to the second is nine.
- I gave the book to him.
- ten to''' ten'' = 9:50; ''We're going to leave at ten '''to (the hour).
- Stay where you're to and I'll come find you, b'y.
See also
* atAdverb
(-)- Please push the door to .
- He went in his room, pushed the door to , without fastening the latch.
Synonyms
* closed, shutAntonyms
* open, ajarSee also
* come to * heave to * lean-to * set-to * to and fro * (English Citations of "to")References
* Andrea Tyler and Vyvyan Evans, "Spatial particles of orientation", in The Semantics of English Prepositions: Spatial Scenes, Embodied Meaning and Cognition , Cambridge University Press, 2003, 0-521-81430 8Statistics
*either
English
Usage notes
In the UK the first pronunciation is generally used more in southern England, while the latter is more usual in northern England. However, this is an oversimplification, and the pronunciation used varies by individual speaker and sometimes by situation. The second pronunciation is the most common in the United States.Determiner
(en determiner)- His flowing hair / In curls on either cheek played.
- Her hands, long and beautiful, lay on either side of her face.
Mason drops lawsuit vs. Jews for Jesus}}
The Ivory Gate, chapter=Prologue
Synonyms
* (one or the other) * (each of two) both, eachPronoun
(English Pronouns)- Than ayther departed to theire tentis and made hem redy to horsebacke as they thought beste.
- Scarce a palm of ground could be gotten by either of the three.
- And either vowd with all their power and wit, / To let not others honour be defaste.
- There have been three talkers in Great British, either of whom would illustrate what I say about dogmatists.
Danny Welbeck leads England's rout of Moldova but hit by Ukraine ban, The Guardian, 6 September:
- Hodgson may now have to bring in James Milner on the left and, on that basis, a certain amount of gloss was taken off a night on which Welbeck scored twice but barely celebrated either before leaving the pitch angrily complaining to the Slovakian referee.
Adverb
(-)Usage notes
either is sometimes used, especially in North American English, where neither would be more traditionally accurate: "I'm not hungry." "Me either."Synonyms
* neither * tooConjunction
(English Conjunctions)- Either you eat your dinner or you go to your room.