any of these two

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "any of these two" is not correct in standard English.
The correct expression would be "either of these two." Example: "You can choose either of these two options for your project."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

"I cannot trust any of these two people who are fighting.

The New York Times

It's not the script that does it – that's good, though, like any of these two point four children sitcoms, a little cheesy too.

Independent

Neither in total nor in any subgroup did we find results indicating beneficial effects of any of these two interventions.

Resuscitation

This can be used in designing collectors for places where the available land strip does not align with any of these two directions.

Solar Energy

It was found that, using any of these two buffers either does not affect the synchronous fluorescence intensity or even decrease it.

Chemistry Central Journal

For this reason, any of these two measures could reduce future pension expenditure because they would break the link between benefits and wage growth.

SERIEs

Therefore, focusing future research contributions on any of these two aspects is needed as they are the bottleneck of the reconfiguration capability in CR networks.

EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking

As our simulations show, the protocol using any of these two heuristics achieves a converged state faster than the original protocol.

Journal of Internet Services and Applications

A conception of international order that violates any of these two conditions would be incompatible with political existence and therefore illegitimate.

SEP

Surface tension measurements in solutions formed by any of these two types of asphaltenes, pentane insolubles (C5I) or heptane insolubles (C7I), in aromatic solvents suggested the occurrence of an aggregation phenomenon of asphaltenes in each of the solvents studied.

Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering

Bi-epitope DeAn conjugates could potentially allow the diagnosis of patients allergic to any of these two drugs with a single test and represent the basis for a broadly-applicable in vitro assay.

Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Always use "either of these two" when referring to a choice between two options to ensure grammatical accuracy. Although "any of these two" is frequently found, it's considered incorrect.

Common error

Avoid using "any" when you specifically mean one of two options. "Any" implies one or more from a larger group, while "either" correctly refers to one of two.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "any of these two" functions as a determiner phrase, aiming to specify a selection from a pair. However, Ludwig AI identifies this usage as grammatically incorrect, advising against its use in formal contexts. Though frequently found in examples, correctness should prevail.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Science

66%

News & Media

17%

Formal & Business

17%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

While the phrase "any of these two" is frequently encountered across various sources, Ludwig AI flags it as grammatically incorrect. The correct alternative is "either of these two". Although "any of these two" appears in scientific articles and news reports, its usage doesn't align with standard English grammar. For clarity and correctness, especially in formal writing, it's best to use "either of these two" or other suggested alternatives to ensure your writing is both accurate and professional.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

either of these two

This is the grammatically correct alternative, indicating a choice between two options.

either one of these

A variation of the standard correction, slightly rephrased.

any one of these two

This option emphasizes selecting a single item from the pair, while still maintaining grammatical correctness.

one of these two

This is a direct and simple way to indicate selecting a single item from the pair.

any from these two

Emphasizes the selection process but slightly less formal.

one among these two

This alternative highlights the selection from a limited set.

a choice of these two

Highlights the act of choosing between the two.

a selection between these two

Highlights the act of choosing between the two.

selecting from these two

This focuses on the act of selecting, rather than the item selected.

choosing from these two

Similar to "selecting from these two", it emphasizes the decision-making process.

FAQs

What is the correct way to refer to one of two options?

The correct phrase is "either of these two". The use of "any of these two" is generally considered grammatically incorrect.

Is "any of these two" ever acceptable in writing?

While "any of these two" appears in various sources, it is not considered standard English. For formal or academic writing, always opt for "either of these two".

What's the difference between "any of these two" and "either of these two"?

"Either" refers specifically to one of two options, while "any" is more appropriate when referring to one or more items from a larger group. Therefore, "either of these two" is the correct choice when you have only two options.

What are some alternatives to "any of these two"?

Besides "either of these two", you could also use "any one of these two" or "one of these two" depending on the specific context, to maintain grammatical accuracy.