Tagged Questions

0
votes
1answer
146 views

Meaning of “either”: “not /A or B/” = “not /either A or B/”?

In a positive sentence, "either . . .or" is sometimes used to express an exclusive disjunction. However, what happens when “either” is used in negation, as in sentence two below? Is the meaning the ...
0
votes
3answers
121 views

Is “tell neither X nor Y” equivalent to “not tell both X and Y” or “not tell either X and Y”? [closed]

Given the sentence "John told neither the boss nor the secretary.", which of the following has the same meaning? John did not tell both the boss and the secretary. John did not tell either ...
0
votes
2answers
171 views

Grammaticality of “I have a car, neither does Sara” [closed]

Can we say "I have a red car. Neither does Sara." or must we say "I have a red car but Sara doesn't."? I have read this on a website and they said that the first sentence is incorrect but I don't ...
3
votes
1answer
73 views

Is the “or not” in “whether or not” optional? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: “Whether or not” vs. “whether” I am not sure about the usage of whether. My doubt over it is whether or not is optional. Suppose I have the following sentence: The ...
1
vote
2answers
87 views

Without, free from, lacking, etc.: Unambiguous total negation with “OR”?

In the following, “does not cause” seems to be clear negation, and total negation requires “or”, therefore: The widget does not cause deformities or cracks However, it is unclear to me whether ...
3
votes
1answer
606 views

When should we use proximity rule in “either/or”, and “neither/nor”?

According to this link, if at least one of the nouns involved is plural then it should take the plural form of the verb. Otherwise, it should take the singular form of the verb. But in the last part ...
2
votes
3answers
2k views

“Can’t help but” vs. “can help but”

Is "can’t help but" considered to be a confused mix of the expressions "can but" and "can’t help"? If not, what is the difference between "can help but" and "can’t help but"?
1
vote
1answer
142 views

“Who cares [if/that] it [is/isn't] true” — which to use when?

Imagine the following scenario: Person A: I love this movie so much! The story is so beautiful! Person B: Well, the story isn't true. Now, person A has a few options in how to follow the ...
9
votes
2answers
192 views

Do the tug of war rules have a typo? (“Or” vs. “nor”)

The Official Tug of War Rules (link is PDF, here is Google quickview link) say: The rope must not be less than 10 centimetres (100 mm), or more than 12.5 centimetres (125 mm) in circumference... ...
0
votes
3answers
195 views

“Yet” to imply negative?

Yet few colleges and universities have taken sufficient account... Does the sentence above imply a negative/opposite meaning? e.g: Few colleges and universities haven't taken sufficient ...
0
votes
1answer
142 views

Please provide me correct interpretation of this sentence [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: How does negation affect the use and understanding of “or” and “and” A's girlfriend doesn't like movies or Roses. What would be the correct ...
2
votes
1answer
1k views

“Cannot help but think” vs. “cannot but think” vs. “cannot help thinking”

Which of the following are grammatical? I cannot help but think. I cannot but think. I cannot help thinking. I was taught (1) is not correct. Is it true? Or are they all correct? ...
5
votes
3answers
241 views

On the expression “no [noun 1] or any [noun 2]”

I have often seen the following expressions: [ex.] 1. I have no allergies or any medical issues. 2. John serves a chicken with no sauce or any kind of seasoning. I suspect that such a use is ...
1
vote
2answers
202 views

What is the proper way to punctuate “but no”?

I'm trying to figure out the proper usage and punctuation of "but no". I think it's one of the following: You figure I would have made at least one post about Arthur C. Clarke’s “2010” during ...
3
votes
2answers
185 views

Use of ‘or’ when it means ‘and’ in negatives [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: How does negation affect the use and understanding of “or” and “and” If I want to negate a sentence such as I like beer and whiskey. [Most ...
2
votes
2answers
197 views

How does negation affect the use and understanding of “or” and “and”

I'm trying to make more sense of how negation effects how a sentence is parsed and understood if and's and or's are used within them. Pop quiz: You are trapped on a bus with a bomb going 50 MPH. You ...
1
vote
3answers
1k views

Use “or” or “nor”?

I've always wondered this but never asked. Given this statement: Energy can be neither created nor destroyed. Should it be or or nor? This is on Wikipedia so they are probably correct in saying ...
10
votes
1answer
760 views

The construction of “Known but to God”

The Tomb of the Unknown Solider has the engraving "KNOWN BUT TO GOD", as presumably no man knows his name, but shouldn't it read "unknown, but to God", as the default for everyone is "unknown", with ...
10
votes
4answers
662 views

Should I use 'or' or 'nor'?

This document does not cover the SDK interfaces nor any other reference material. I think the above is correct, but my grammatical checker in Microsoft Word underlines nor and suggests or. Why?
13
votes
3answers
714 views

“Whether or not” vs. “whether”

This will depend on whether he's suitable for the job. This will depend on whether he's suitable for the job or not. This will depend on whether or not he's suitable for the job. ...