Timeline for Singular or plural verb after a series connected by "or"
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
13 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Aug 18, 2013 at 14:43 | comment | added | tchrist♦ | You may certainly use either of a, b, or c; it is not especially common, but it is hardly "forbidden". | |
| Aug 18, 2013 at 11:52 | history | edited | guypursey | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
Added note about comments.
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| Aug 18, 2013 at 11:50 | comment | added | guypursey | @TrevorD Happy to leave the discussion in for reference. Though I should probably include a note in the answer itself to explain that the comments refer to an earlier version of the answer. | |
| Aug 17, 2013 at 11:15 | comment | added | Janus Bahs Jacquet | I never claimed Shakespeare was an indication of current usage; I merely added it as a parallel to the “either (a) or (b) or both” mentioned above. | |
| Aug 17, 2013 at 11:10 | comment | added | TrevorD | @JanusBahsJacquet Quoting Shakespeare merely deomonstrates how and what words were used in his time. Many words used by Shakespeare are no longer in (common) use and/or have different (nuances of) meaning. A modern dictionary is more reliable as an indicator of current usage. | |
| Aug 17, 2013 at 2:29 | comment | added | Janus Bahs Jacquet | “Either thou, or I, or both must go with him” (129). | |
| Aug 16, 2013 at 16:25 | comment | added | TrevorD | Thanks. I'm happy to delete my comments if you would like me to. If you delete yours shortly, I'll check back & delete mine. | |
| Aug 16, 2013 at 16:21 | comment | added | guypursey | Just to be sure, I've now removed that example, as I think it better to comply with Chambers and ODO on this one; I probably have been using it incorrectly all along. Besides which, the second example (which does use the word 'any') was the better of the two anyway. Thanks. | |
| Aug 16, 2013 at 16:19 | history | edited | guypursey | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
Shortened answer based on comments.
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| Aug 16, 2013 at 16:13 | comment | added | TrevorD | I don't think you're unusual in using if for more than 2! ODO has "used before the first of two (or occasionally more) given alternatives". Personally, I don't like "either (a) or (b) or both", but I do admit to being pedantic! In your first ex. I would have just say "any of those ...". [I put "in BrE" because (if I recall correctly) in a previous question someone indicated that "either" is commonly used for >2 in AmE.] | |
| Aug 16, 2013 at 16:03 | comment | added | guypursey | I am British and do try to speak and write in BrE when I can ;-) I wasn't aware of this restriction on 'either' though. A quick search reveals that many pages maintain it is for a choice of two, which leaves me feeling a bit red-faced. However, I can't find a term that covers more than two options in a situation of logical disjunction. Surely, if it's possible to say 'either (a) or (b) or both' it is then possible to say 'either (a),[ or] (b), or (c)' and even 'either (a),[ or] (b)[ or], (c), or all three'... Or have I gone too far? | |
| Aug 16, 2013 at 15:57 | comment | added | TrevorD | At least in BrE, either is restricted to choices of only two items. See Chambers | |
| Aug 16, 2013 at 15:51 | history | answered | guypursey | CC BY-SA 3.0 |