either did or

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "either did or" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to present two alternatives or possibilities regarding an action that was taken or not taken. Example: "He either did or did not complete the assignment, but we need to find out which."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

58 human-written examples

"You either did or you didn't".

The New York Times

That you could throw a punch perhaps, and either did or didn't?

The Guardian - Opinion

Praising Hitler seems the sort of thing that most people would be quite sure they either did or did not do.

The New York Times

Set in a sort of purgatory, it reunites three of the characters present at the fateful 1941 meeting in Copenhagen between nuclear scientists Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg which either did or did not affect the ability of the Nazis to construct an atom bomb.

The Guardian

In Study 1 (n = 58) White college students watched videotapes depicting an inter-racial friendship and either did or did not write about a similar experience.

Journal of Experimental Social Psychology

In Study 2 (n = 99) White college students watched videotapes depicting an inter-racial or same-race friendship and either did or did not write about a similar experience.

Journal of Experimental Social Psychology

What astounds me about the "race card" -- which either did or didn't get played in the presidential race recently -- is its thinness.

Huffington Post

"The police cannot justify the detention of a person based on information that they either did or not have, or which they did not rely upon, in ordering a person to be detained," it stated.

Vice

It is interesting to note that our results are in line with those of Critchley's study [79] which used a synchronized or desynchronized heartbeat tone signal in contrast with a series of ten similarly timed tones that either did or did not include an oddball tone.

Plosone

We explored this potential detrimental effect of grunting by presenting videos of a tennis player hitting a ball to either side of a tennis court; the shot either did, or did not, contain a brief sound that occurred at the same time as contact.

Plosone

All women in the simulation cohort started without cancer, and they either did or did not receive mammography in a given year.

BMC Medical Research Methodology

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Ensure clarity by following "either did or" with parallel verb phrases to maintain grammatical consistency. For instance, "He either completed the task or delegated it to someone else" provides a balanced and understandable sentence structure.

Common error

Avoid shifting verb tenses after "either did or". Ensure that both options maintain the same tense for clarity and grammatical correctness. For example, instead of writing "She either did complete the project or will abandon it", use "She either completed the project or abandoned it".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "either did or" functions as a correlative conjunction, presenting two mutually exclusive possibilities regarding a past action. Ludwig shows various contexts where this phrase is used to indicate uncertainty or a binary choice between two actions.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Science

35%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Wiki

8%

Encyclopedias

4%

Reference

3%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "either did or" is a versatile correlative conjunction primarily used to present two mutually exclusive possibilities regarding a past action. Ludwig AI confirms its grammatical correctness and prevalence across various contexts. It is commonly found in news, scientific articles, and formal business communications. To maintain clarity, ensure consistent verb tenses after "either did or". Alternatives like "either completed or" and "either accomplished or" offer similar meanings with subtle differences in emphasis. When writing, be aware of tense consistency. Use "either did or" to indicate uncertainty or a choice between two potential actions.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

either completed or

Focuses on the completion of an action, suggesting a binary outcome regarding accomplishment.

either accomplished or

Similar to 'completed', but emphasizes achievement or success in the action.

either performed or

Highlights the execution of an action, irrespective of its success or completion.

either succeeded or

Emphasizes the success aspect of the action, contrasting with failure.

either chose to or

Indicates a decision-making process, where one of two actions was deliberately selected.

either happened or

Focuses on the occurrence of an event, providing a binary outcome of whether it took place.

either occurred or

Similar to 'happened', but may suggest a more formal or significant event.

either was or

States a condition, where something exists or does not exist.

either existed or

Emphasizes the existence of something, contrasting with its non-existence.

either took place or

Suggests that an event either happened or it did not happen.

FAQs

How can I use "either did or" in a sentence?

Use "either did or" to present two alternative past actions, implying one of them occurred. For example, "He "either did or" did not submit the report on time" indicates uncertainty about the report's submission.

What phrases are similar to "either did or"?

Similar phrases include "either completed or", "either accomplished or", or "either performed or", each varying slightly in emphasis and context.

Is it correct to say "either did or didn't"?

Yes, "either did or didn't" is a correct and commonly used construction. It emphasizes that there are only two possibilities: an action was either performed or not performed, leaving no middle ground.

What's the difference between "either did or" and "either was or"?

"Either did or" refers to an action, while "either was or" refers to a state of being. For example, "He "either did or" didn't finish the task" concerns an action, whereas "The door either was or wasn't locked" concerns a state.