It doesn’t matter if you pronounce either with a long E (ee-ther) or a long I (eye-ther). Depending on your region of the country, one may be preferred, but either pronunciation is correct. However, it is important that you know when and how to use these words and their partners or and nor correctly.
Either and neither are comparison words. They are used to compare two alternatives or options—not more than two.
- When John met with the dean he was told, “Either apply yourself to your studies or drop out of college.”
The dean might have given John more than two options, but if he did, he wouldn’t use either.
Here’s one way you can write multiple choices:
- The dean told John to pick one of the following options: apply himself to his studies, hire a tutor, or drop out of school. (Either would not be correct in this instance.)
