Either vs Each vs Both?

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Could anyone help me on this, please?

Longman dictionary gives the following two examples of the use of “either” for one and the other of two things:

1) He sat in the back of the car with a cop on either side.

2) There are shops at either end of the street.

Can I say?

3) He sat in the back of the car with a cop on each side.

4) There are shops at each end of the street.

5) He sat in the back of the car with a cop (cops?) on both sides.

6) There are shops at both ends of the street.

Thank you in advance,

Eladio

Full Member138

Goodman:

I'll say all your sentences are basically grammaticall fine. But each one paints a slightly different picture.

I do have a uestion with # 1. "Either" implies one or the other, as in "you can either have the apple or orange". "with a cop on either side......" had me scratching my head for a few minutes. Do you mean a cop on each side?

Senior Member3,816

Diamondrg:

Goodman
I'll say all your sentences are basically grammaticall fine. But each one paints a slightly different picture.

I do have a uestion with # 1. "Either" implies one or the other, as in "you can either have the apple or orange". "with a cop on either side......" had me scratching my head for a few minutes. Do you mean a cop on each side?

I think "either" in that sentence means "both", not "one or the other". If it means "one or the other", it implies that the person who was speaking did not know whether there was a cop on each side or on which side the cop was. Emotion: rolleyes

What does "either" mean in the sentences below? Does "each side" mean "both sides" or "all sides"?

The fact is that people on either side are quite comfortable with that fence.

nytimes

Two railroads on either side of the river bear trains of passengers and freight as well.

nytimes

Contributing Member1,039

Old Eladio:

Thank you Goodman and Diamondrg. So, if I understood well, yes, I can say:

3) He sat in the back of the car with a cop on each side. (=on either side)

4) There are shops at each end of the street. (on either end)

5) He sat in the back of the car with a cops (NOT cop, is that right?) on both sides.

6) There are shops at both ends of the street.

Eladio

Old Eladio:

Thank you Goodman and Diamondrg. So, if I understood well, yes, I can say:

3) He sat in the back of the car with a cop on each side. (=on either side)

4) There are shops at each end of the street. (on either end)

5) He sat in the back of the car with cops (NOT cop, is that right?) on both sides.

6) There are shops at both ends of the street.

Eladio

Anonymous:

5) He sat in the back of the car with cops (NOT cop, is that right?) on both sides.

Yes, that's right. If you said "with a cop on both sides" the meaning is a single cop who is so fat that he is simultaneously on both sides of him!

CalifJim:

You are, of course, free to answer questions that were asked four years ago, but I don't think the person who asked the question is around anymore to profit from your answer. You might note that the time passed since each response was posted is shown, a fact that is not always obvious to our visitors to this forum. Emotion: smile

Veteran Member45,950

canadian45:

Anonymous5) Yes, that's right. If you said "with a cop on both sides" the meaning is a single cop who is so fat that he is simultaneously on both sides of him!

I don't think anyone would think it means that.

"with cops on both sides" can be taken to mean at least two cops on (each)(either) side.

'with a cop on (each)(either) side' is the best way to express the meaning.

Senior Member2,913

Anonymous:

CalifJimYou might note that the time passed since each response was posted is shown, a fact that is not always obvious to our visitors to this forum.

Perhaps that's because the date isn't displayed. I'm not seeing it in my own browser, at any rate.

Either vs Each vs Both?

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