Both / Either / Neither Parties
Paired Conjunctions
Both ... and
The paired conjunction 'both ... and' is used to introduce dual subjects which take plural verb conjugations.
Example:
Both my notebook computer and my iPad were worthless during the outage.
Both father and son are uploading the new browser on their laptops.
Either ... or
The paired conjunction 'either ... or' is used in sentences to show that one or the other is performing an action. Conjugate verbs based on the subject (singular or plural) closer to the conjugated verb.
Example:
Either Bill or Steven is able to provide the URL via email.
Either a user or one our geeks hacked into the optical storage units.
Neither ... nor
The paired conjunction 'neither ... nor' is used in sentences giving a negative sense. Neither one nor the other subject does an action. The negative is conveyed by the 'n' in 'neither' and 'nor'. 'Not' is not placed before the verb. Conjugate verbs based on the subject (singular or plural) closer to the conjugated verb.
Example:
Neither the tech on the phone nor the specialist at the store was able to help me optimize my system.
Neither the marketing rep nor his programmer knew how to include video streaming on a wordpress blog.
Neither the new computer nor the peripherals relied on virtual memory.
Neither the website owner nor the SEO consultant could improve the site's page ranking.