Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 3: Part: Using "Nor" with "Neither"
• Method 2 of 3: Part: Using "Nor" without "Neither"
• Method 3 of 3: Part: Miscellaneous Rules

The word "nor" is a negative conjunction of the English language, which is usually used in conjunction with the word "neither," although not only.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Part: Using "Nor" with "Neither"

1. 1 After "neither" put "nor."Nor" usually comes after "neither" in the same sentence, following the "neither A nor B. “This construction“ neither / nor ”forms an analogue of the Russian model“ neither ... nor ... ”In this model, the information presented by the first of the terms, in one way or another, refers to the second term.
   • This construction can be used when discussing actions or when listing nouns.
   • Example: "He neither listens to music nor plays it."
   • Example: "She likes neither candy nor cake."
   • Note that the sentence can start with “neither”.
   • Example: "Neither Sarah nor Jim can make it to the party on Saturday."
2. 2 You can use “nor” multiple times in the list. Typically, neither / nor is used to indicate a negative, negative relationship between objects or actions. You can use "nor" when it comes to more than two objects or actions, but then you have to put "nor" after each item in the list.
   • Note that "neither" can be used only once, and always, even if you say "nor" 10, 100, or even more times.
   • Don't just separate list items with commas.
   • Correct example: "The store had neither peanut butter nor jelly nor bread.
   • Incorrect example: "The store had neither peanut butter, jelly, nor bread."
3. 3 Remember that "neither" and "nor" should be kind of parallel to each other. Parallelism, as far as it relates to the pair neither / nor, means that both parts of the phrase must correspond to each other in terms of the information described.
   • Simply put, you cannot put a verb after "neither", and a noun after "nor". And even vice versa is impossible. Both parts should be associated with the same part of speech.
   • Correct: "We saw neither Gwen nor Eric during our trip.
   • Correct: "We neither saw Gwen nor spoke to Eric during our trip."
   • Incorrect: "We neither saw Gwen nor Eric during our trip."
4. 4 You cannot use "nor" with "either". Even though either and neither are used in a similar fashion, either is positive and neither is negative. Accordingly, negative “neither” pairs with negative “nor”, ​​and positive “either” pairs with positive “or.”
   • Rule: “neither” is always paired with “nor,” “either” is always paired with “or.”
   • Correct: "Neither James nor Rebecca are interested in basketball."
   • Correct: "Either eat your vegetables or skip your dessert."
   • Incorrect: “I neither know the rules of the game or care to know.”
   • Incorrect: "I will either go to the library or take a nap."

Method 2 of 3: Part: Using "Nor" without "Neither"

1. 1 Use "nor" with other words with negative semantics. Yes, "nor" almost always comes after "neither." However, this is almost always not always the case.
   • Example: "The final guest is not here, nor should we wait for her before we start the festivities.
   • Example: "He has never gone fishing, nor does he have any desire to learn."
2. 2 Use nor outside of the neither / nor pair. when listing more than two objects or actions, separate them with commas, but precede the last one with “nor.” In this case, you do not need to put “nor” before each item in the list.
   • Compare this to using “nor” with neither / nor. Paired with “neither”, the word “nor” must appear before each item on the list. Without “neither,” respectively, just before the last “nor” clause.
   • Correct: He has never experienced joy, sadness, nor anger with such passion before. ”
   • Wrong: He has never experience joy nor sadness nor anger with such passion before. "
3. 3 Use “nor” to convey negation or negative only when paired with a verb. Sometimes, in order to correctly convey the negative, minor mood of a sentence, it is necessary to use "or" rather than "nor." Nevertheless, if all the semantics of the negative are stored in the second part of the sentence, in the verb phrase, in the action, then "nor" will be the correct option here.
   • If the second part of the negation is a noun, adjective, or adverb, then the first part of the negation will, as it were, extend its influence over the entire sentence, making "nor" superfluous. In such cases, "or" should be used.
   • Correct: "He never comes to practice, nor does he listen to the coach."
   • Correct: "She does not enjoy music or art."
   • Not right: "She does not enjoy music nor art."
4. 4 Using "nor" alone requires caution. As a negative conjunction, "nor" is almost always used to connect two parts of a sentence with negative or negative semantics. Yes, technically, you can use "nor" in such a sentence, where there is not a word with such semantics, but this happens extremely rarely.
   • Using "nor" itself looks artificial. Since this is rarely appropriate, most people will think you are using "nor" incorrectly.
   • You should always check to see if the part of the sentence before "nor" is meaningfully related to the part after that word.
   • Example: "The report was done on time, nor does it appear to contain any mistakes."

Method 3 of 3: Part: Miscellaneous Rules

1. 1 Check if nouns and verbs are used correctly in the sentence. A singular noun must correspond to a similar verb. A plural noun must correspond to a similar verb.
   • This, as a rule, is not a problem if, on the one hand, neither / nor is, say, a singular noun, and on the other, a plural.
   • Look at the noun closest to the verb (usually the one before "nor"). If it has a plural form, then put the verb in the appropriate form. If the number is single - by analogy.
   • Correct: "Neither he nor they are interested."
   • Correct: "Neither they nor he is interested."
   • Incorrect: "Neither he nor they is interested."
   • Incorrect: "Neither they nor he are interested."
2. 2 Use a comma when "nor" separates the main clause. When "nor" separates a subordinate clause, the comma is optional. In addition, it is not necessary when "nor" is used only to indicate a relationship between two nouns. However, if this word separates the main sentence, then a comma is needed.
   • A subordinate clause is that part of a sentence that is incomplete and incomprehensible without the main clause. The main sentence is one in which there is a grammatical core (subject + predicate), which can be separate and independent in itself.
   • Correct: “No one knew the answer, nor did they make a guess.”
   • Incorrect: "No one knew the answer nor did they make a guess."