ESL General English Grammar Questions

Re: or /nor

eslkorea — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 17:02:01 GMT

i believe nor is always used with neither...

Re: or /nor

optilang — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 17:01:57 GMT

New2grammar
Is it possible to use nor as a reply? If so, how would you say it?

Yes

I wouldn't say that

Neither would I / Nor would I.

Re: or /nor

New2grammar — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 16:58:37 GMT

Is it possible to use nor as a reply? If so, how would you say it?

Re: or /nor

Tanit — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 16:58:19 GMT

Hi

May I quote an excerpt from M. Swan, 2005, Practical English Usage, 3rd edition. OUP. (para. 370.5 "Two negative ideas: not ... or / not ... nor") I posted some months ago in another thread?

Swan

When not refers to two or more verbs, nouns, adjectives etc, we usually join them with or.
...
However, we can use not after a pause, to separate and emphasise a second verb, adjective etc.
Our main need is not food, nor money. It is education. (More emphatic than ... food or money.)
She didn't phone that day, nor the next day. (More emphatic than ... or the next day.)
Note that neither cannot be used in this way.

In the other thread, I think I learnt that:
1. neither ... nor ... / not ... or ... are more common in everyday speech -- more "natural"
2. not ... nor ... (possibly with a comma before "nor") emphasises the second part, so it can be used as a stylistic (formal? rhetoric?) device.
I assume this could explain the number of hits returned by G.Books. Would you agree?

Re: or /nor

optilang — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 16:54:01 GMT

New2grammar
I don't like to travel.

1. Neither do I

2. I don't either.

3. Nor I

1. Correct

2. Correct

3. I wouldn't use this in answer to the question.

Re: or /nor

New2grammar — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 16:44:18 GMT

So, you would say 'or' right?

Another question. Are the following choices all correct?

I don't like to travel.

1. Neither do I

2. I don't either.

3. Nor I

Re: or /nor

optilang — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 16:36:57 GMT

I agree with your:

Either ...or
Neither...nor

and I follow the above. However, my GBooks search revealed the data posted earlier - which I found surprising.

Your question was, 'are both correct'? As always, I can only tell you what I use/say/write.

Re: or /nor

New2grammar — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 16:29:11 GMT

Or and Nor are killing me! The following are the combinations that I know of

Either ...or
Neither...nor
isn't/doesn't/negative modal verbs ...or (why NOR is possible???)

He doesn't eat spaghetti or sushi (nor sushi??)

Please help.

Re: or /nor

optilang — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 16:20:39 GMT

Books 1 - 10 of 439 on "not the first time nor the last".

Books 1 - 10 of 191 on "not the first time or the last"

or /nor

New2grammar — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 16:09:11 GMT

That's not the first time or/nor likely the last.

Are both correct?
Thanks