IELTS Vocabulary: Mastering the Word ‘Either’
Learn how to use ‘either’ correctly in English with this IELTS vocabulary lesson. Discover its various functions, meanings, and common usage errors to boost your language skills for the IELTS exam.
Imagine you’re at a restaurant, and the waiter asks if you want coffee or tea. You might respond, I’ll have either.
This word, either, is our focus for today’s IELTS vocabulary lesson.
Word type: Either can function as an adjective, pronoun, adverb, or conjunction in English.
Meaning: Either has two main uses. First, it means one or the other of two things. Second, it’s used before two or more alternatives to indicate a choice.
Word history: The word either comes from Old English and has been part of the language for over a thousand years.
It’s related to similar words in other Germanic languages.
Antonyms: The opposite of either is neither, which means not one or the other.
Synonyms: Some words with similar meanings to either are any, whichever, or.
Examples use in sentences:
Let’s look at how to use either in different sentences. You can say, Either option is fine with me. Or, I don’t like either of these shirts.
In questions, we might ask, Which book do you want? Either is fine. Common errors in use: One common mistake is using either with more than two options.
Remember, either is used for two choices. If there are more than two, use any instead. Another error is the placement of either in negative sentences.
The correct form is I don’t like either of them, not I don’t either like them. To wrap up, either is a versatile word used to talk about choices between two options.
Practice using it in your speaking and writing to improve your IELTS score. Remember, with language learning, practice makes perfect!
