Lesson 14: Which One?

“Which One?”

It seems like in English I always need to describe or compare something to explain what it is or how many there are. It’s important that you learn the skill of comparisons by using the words, “both/neither/all/none.” The word “both” is used when you talk about two things that are the same. For example, “Both of these teachers are smart.” The key is to remember that “both” is used with a quantity of two. The opposite of both is “neither.” Neither is also used when comparing two things but it is the negative form and the assumption is that we compare each one individually to conclude that something doesn’t exist in either one. This is an important difference. For example, when comparing two girls who are unfortunately unattractive, “Neither of them is cute.” Notice that in the first example the verb “are + adjective” is plural because the noun “these teachers” is plural. But “neither” is special. It’s considered a singular pronoun because after comparing both things the result is that neither has what is being compared. Therefore we use the verb “is + adjective.” In addition to “both/neither” you will need to be able to count or compare “all” of something or “none.” In this case we are talking about a quantity of at least three or more. The quantity might be much higher than three of course, such as in the case of the “All of the people on this planet…” That said, whether we say “all” or “none” the assumption is always a quantity that is plural so the pattern is “are + adj or noun.” Let’s look at some more examples below so you can practice.

Key words:
Neither of the juices is healthy
Both of the women are overweight
Neither of the bottles is broken
Both of them are strong
All of these cups are empty
None of these cars are expensive.
All of the employees are sick
None of the fax machines are working

Here are some situational examples:
Example: Two friends
(Casual):
w Which one should I drink?
u Neither of the juices is healthy.

Example: Two co-workers
(Everyday)
w Which one should I use?
u None of the fax machines are working.

Example: Boss to manager
(Formal):
w Who is sick?
u Actually, all of the employees are sick.