Grammar-Quizzes › Adverbials › Adverbs › Too vs. Either
Too vs. Either
Add a positive or negative comment
In Context
Today, I am eight. I will be attending a new school, and so will my cousin. The new school is opening because our old school building was too¹ small for our class. I will have a desk and my classmates will too. I won't have to share a book, and my classmates won't either.
I will work hard because I want to have a good education. My cousin will work hard too. She wants to become a pediatrician, a doctor for children. My mother did not have this opportunity, and neither did my grandmother. I feel fortunate, and my cousin does too.
Too vs. Either
| AND…TOO |
|---|
After mentioning a positive idea or fact, add another positive comment with and… too. (a conjunctive expression) |
| POSITIVE |
I am eight today, and my cousin is too. |
I am waiting for our new school to open, and my cousin is too. (present) |
I have a new reader (book), and my classmates do too / have too (Br-Eng) |
I wished for a new school, and my parents did too. (past) |
I will work very hard, and my classmates will too. (modal verb) |
| AND…NOT EITHER |
|---|
After mentioning a negative idea or fact, add another negative comment with and… not either. (a negative conjunctive expression) |
| NEGATIVE |
I am not a child, and my cousin isn't either. |
I am not worrying, and my cousins aren't either. |
I don't have a desk, and my classmates don't either/ haven't either (Br-Eng) |
I didn't want to be uneducated, and my friends didn't either. |
I won't be late, and my classmates won't either. |
¹too (degree adverb) – excessively; The old school was too small for us to use.
Two Parts: Coordination and Focus
Draw attention to particular information
Coordination and Focus
| COORDINATION — AND |
|---|
Two clauses with like structures can be joined (coordinated) with and. However, if the content is very similiar, we tend to shorten the verb phrase in the second clause to the auxiliary verb (be, do, have) and too, also or either (neg). |
| TWO CLAUSES |
Jill walks to school at 6:30. Sara walks to school at 6:30 |
| COORDINATED CLAUSES |
Jill walks to school at 6:30, and Sara walks to school at 6:30. (with a comma) *Jill walks to school at 6:30, and Sara does. (cannot shorten like this) |
| FOCUS — TOO |
|---|
Including too or either allows us to shorten the second clause by drawing attention to the particular part of the first clause (often the verb phrase) that we are omitting in the second clause. In speech, we use intonation to indicate the focused part. |
| WITH A FOCUSING ADVERB |
Jill walks to school at 6:30, and Sara does too. [focus (VP) = walk to school] Jill walks to her school, and Sara does too. [focus (PP) = to her different school] Jill walks fast, and Sara does too. [focus = (Adv) = fast or (VP) = walks fast] Jill walks to school, and Sara also walks to school. [focus (N) = Sara] Jill doesn't like rain, and Sara doesn't either. [focus (VP) = doesn't like rain] |
omit (V) – leave out, omitted (Adj) – something not included
N – Noun; VP – Verb Phrase; Adv –Adverb; PP –Prepositional Phrase (See Word Categories for other abbreviations.)
Also see Focusing Adverbs (only, just, too, etc.), Coordinators (and, but, nor, etc.) And so / And too and Either…or / Neither…nor
Too v. Either(Polarity)
In positive or negative environments
Positive v. Negative Responses in Agreement
| A POSITIVE STATEMENT |
|---|
A clause with a neutral (non-negative) verb has positive polarity even if the meaning is negative. We use too when adding a comment of agreement. |
| POSITIVE VERB – POSITIVE MEANING |
I like this book, and he does too. I like this book, and so does he. (A clause with a positive verb and no other negatives has positive polarity.) |
I look forward to beginning school, and my friends do too. |
| POSITIVE VERB – NEGATIVE MEANING |
I dislike this book, and they do too. |
I avoid / detest watching that movie, and they do too. |
| POSITIVE ADVERB – POSITIVE MEANING |
They truly believe what he is saying, and I do too. (always, usually, mostly, never / totally, utterly, completely / confidently, assuredly, reasonably, logically) |
| POSITIVE PRONOUN – POSITIVE MEANING |
Everyone believes me, he does too. |
| A NEGATIVE STATEMENT |
|---|
A clause with a negative verb still has negative polarity even if the meaning is positive. We use either or neither when adding a comment of agreement. |
| NEGATIVE VERB – POSITIVE MEANING |
I can't help reading this book, and he can't either. like, can't stop I can't help reading this book, and neither can he. (A clause with a negative verb but a positive meaning still has negative polarity.) |
I can't wait to begin school, and she can't either. eagerly anticipate, look forward to I can't wait to begin school, and neither can she. |
| NEGATIVE VERB – NEGATIVE MEANING |
I can't stand reading this book, and she can't either. dislike |
I can't bear watching that movie again, and I can't either. cannot tolerate |
| NEGATIVE ADVERB – NEGATIVE MEANING |
They hardly believe what he is saying, and I don't either. (seldom, rarely, never / barely, scarcely) |
| NEGATIVE PRONOUN – NEGATIVE MEANING |
No one believes me, and he doesn't either. (nobody, not any one, none of them, not one person, hardly anyone) |
¹polarity—some words occur only in negative or only in positive environments. For example, too is positively-oriented, occurring in neutral environments, and either is negatively-oriented, occurring in negative environments (negative verbs). I like going to school, and my sister does too. The main clause is positive, and the coordinated clause is also positive if it expresses agreement. I don't like staying home from school, and my sister doesn't either. The main clause is negative, and the coordinated clause is also negative if it expresses agreement. See tests for polarity in Cambridge Grammar of English Language 9 §1.1.
Negative polarity sensitive words occur in negative environments: any, anybody, any longer, any more, anyone, anything, anywhere, at all, either, ever, long, much, until, too, yet.
Also see Negatives—verbs, determiners and word forms. (Huddleston 8 § 14.1.2, , 9 § 4.3 [b]); 10 § 4.7.4 polarity-sensitve items)
Also see Already v. Yet—Polarity and Either…or / Neither…nor.
Too / Either
Short responses
Short Responses of Agreement
| TOO | |
|---|---|
We can use too to add a comment of agreement after someone makes a positive statement. |
|
| POSITIVE | SHORTENED AGREEMENT |
I am excited. (modal) |
Me too! (informal) I am too! He is too! They are too! |
I have a backpack. (US-Eng – auxiliary = do) (Br-Eng – auxiliary = have) |
Me too! (informal) I do too! (Br-Eng – have too) He does too! (Br-Eng – has too) They do too! (Br-Eng – have too) |
I would like a desk. (modal) |
Me too! (informal) I would too! He would too! They would too! |
I hoped for a new school. (past verb) |
Me too. |
| NOT EITHER | |
|---|---|
We can use either to add a comment of agreement after someone makes a negative statement. |
|
| NEGATIVE | SHORTENED AGREEMENT |
I am not worried. |
Me either! (informal) I am not either! He isn't either! They aren't either! |
I do not have a backpack. |
Me either! (informal) I don't either! (Br-Eng – haven't either) He doesn't either! (Br-Eng – hasn't either) They don't either! (Br-Eng – haven't either) |
I would not like to sit on the floor. |
Me either! (informal) I wouldn't either! He wouldn't either! They wouldn't either! |
I did not like the old one. |
Me either. (informal) |
Me too (informal speech) – is more commonly used in a present, immediate context, less commonly for an activity or action in the past.
But Not Too
Indicating restrictions
But… Not…Too
| BUT NOT TOO |
|---|
After mentioning a positive idea or fact, we can add a negative point using but not…too. |
You can take a cookie, but you can't take a cupcake too. |
He's drinking a lot, but at least he isn't driving too. |
You can have your cake, but you can't eat it too. |
| EITHER X or Y |
|---|
We can offer a choice between two items with either X or Y. "Select one". |
You can take either a cookie or a cupcake. (a choice of one item) |
You can either drink or drive as much as you like. (a choice of one activity) |
You can either have your cake or you can eat it. (a choice of one activity |
"You can't have your cake and eat it too." (expression) – You have to make choices in life.
Common Mistakes
Errors and Solutions
Error and Solution
| ERROR |
|---|
I'm not going, and he isn't going neither. |
"I thought he was dead." |
I can't wait for the opening, and they can't too / also / as well. (verb + not) |
"I can hardly believe my eyes! " (negative adverb) |
"No one helped me." (negative pronoun) |
| SOLUTION |
|---|
I'm not going, and he isn't either. (Also see neither…nor) |
"I thought he was dead.." |
I can't wait for the opening, and they can't either. |
"I can hardly believe my eyes! " |
"No one helped me." |
Practice 1
Storytelling
Add a point of agreement.
- Select the response from the list that best completes the sentence.
- Compare your response to the feedback by clicking the "check" button.
Practice 2
Setting limits (rules)
Determine whether to add too or either.
- Select the response from the list that best completes the sentence.
- Compare your response to the feedback by clicking the "check" button.