Example:
The line has one, both, or neither point.
or
The line has one, both, or neither points.
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Why use both when you can use two? And why use neither when you can use no?– John LawlerNov 8, 2019 at 21:20
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1It's for math. You can't say two because it isn't as accurate as both. Both implies there are ONLY two. So it can have one, both, or nothing at all.– jdawsonNov 8, 2019 at 21:38
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One, two, or nothing at all implies there are only two. Both is just a suppletive variant of *all two, which doesn't occur in English.– John LawlerNov 8, 2019 at 21:41
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We have to use these terms in math. If you can help me understand whether the object should use singular or plural, I would really appreciate it.– jdawsonNov 8, 2019 at 21:53
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1Adjectives cannot be plural in English. They also cannot be singular because adjectives are not marked for number at all in English. Things like these students and those students use plural demonstrative determiners not plural adjectives, and things like professors emeriti or professors emeritae (not to mention appellations contrôlées, nouveaux arrivés, musicas norteñas, tortillas españolas, uomini universali) all use non-English plural adjectives, which doesn't count.– tchrist ♦Nov 8, 2019 at 22:36
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