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Grammar
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Conjunctions
Summary
The word both refers to each of two people or things. Before a noun, use both. Before a pronoun, use both of.
Examples
- Both destinations are now open to tourists.
- Both of us are happy.
Both and both of can be used interchangeably before a determiner.
Example
- Both (of) these cakes are delicious.
With both–and as a linking expression, maintain parallel structure in formal texts.
Examples
- Poor: The signs are both in English and Spanish.
- Better: The signs are in both English and Spanish.
Use neither or either instead of both in negative sentences.
Examples
- Neither of us is happy.
Instead of “Both of us are not happy.”
- I can’t find either of my shoes.
Instead of “I can’t find both my shoes.”
No commas are needed around both.
Examples
- Both my manager and I have replied to your emails.
- This book makes me both happy and sad.
What is both?
The word both refers to each of two people or things.
Examples
- Both are my friends.
- Both reports are due today.
- Both almonds and walnuts are good for health.
- Farley has lost both his bags.
- Maya likes both books and music.
- They were both excited about the trip.
Both can be used as a pronoun in place of a noun phrase.
Examples
- Both have grown old.
The pronoun both refers to two people.
- Both of them like music.
- I’ll take both, thanks.
Both can also be used adjectivally (as a determiner or predeterminer) to emphasize a reference to two people or things as opposed to just one.
Examples
- Both stores are true.
As a determiner before the noun “stories.”
- Both these stories are true.
As a predeterminer before the noun phrase “these stories.”
- I need both tickets, please.
Both can be paired with and to stress the inclusion of two people or things. It thus works as a conjunction, a word that helps join two parts of a sentence.
Examples
- Both my dog and my cat have grown old.
- Lulu likes both pizza and pasta.
- To reach Koh Samui, you have to take both a bus and a catamaran.
- Rita detests both fruits and vegetables.
Note
It is sometimes thought that the word both is unnecessary when it is already clear that reference is being made to two people or things. But both is a useful and necessary word to refer to each of the two.
Example
- Both her parents were teachers, and she grew up believing that education was important.
Emphasizes that each of the two parents was a teacher; more emphatic than simply saying “Her parents were teachers.”
In this article, we discuss how to use both correctly in all its uses.
Is both singular or plural?
Both as a pronoun refers to two people or things and is always plural.
Examples
- Both
is/are correct. - Both
wants/want these tickets. - Both
likes/like cheese.
When used adjectivally, both again refers to two people or things. Therefore, it is used with plural instead of singular nouns.
Examples
- Both
option/options are correct. - Both my
sister/sisters want these tickets. - Both
cat/cats like cheese.
In both–and constructions as well, use plural instead of singular verbs.
Examples
- Both Farley’s wallet and his watch
is/are lost. - Both the table and the chairs
is/are wobbly. - Both tea and coffee
is/are served here.
Both vs. both of
Both and both of can both occur before a determiner, with no difference in meaning. (A determiner is a word that appears before a noun and qualifies its reference—these houses, her children, your ideas).
Examples
- Both these houses are for sale.
- She claims to love both of her children equally.
- Both your ideas sound great to me.
- Both of my wrists hurt when I use the phone.
Most editors will delete of in such a construction (both of these houses), since the preposition of doesn’t add to the meaning of the sentence. Its use is still grammatically acceptable and quite common in speech.
When it is clear what is being referred to, determiners are often omitted with both. Directly before a noun, only both can be used, not both of.
Examples
- Correct: Both houses are for sale.
- Correct: Both children now go to school.
- Correct: Both ideas sound great to me.
Before a pronoun like them or us, use both of, not simply both.
Examples
- Correct: Both of them are correct.
Not “Both them are correct.”
- Correct: They have invited both of us to the party.
But both is perfectly fine after a pronoun.
Examples
- You can ask them both what they think.
- They both play the piano.
- We both love to travel.
- They have invited us both to the party.
- I want you both to listen to me carefully.
Tip
There is no difference in meaning between “I like them both” and “I like both of them.” However, the “both of + pronoun” construction is generally preferred after a preposition (on, of, for, with, etc.).
Examples
- I have worked with both of them.
Seen more often than “I have worked with
them both
.”
- These passes are for both of us.
Used more often than “These are for
us both
.”
Position of both in a sentence
Both can appear before or after the phrase it modifies.
Examples
- Correct: Both of them work from home.
or
Correct: They both work from home.
- Correct: Both their cats are happy about it.
or
Correct: Their cats are both happy about it.
Some writers prefer “Both of them are happy” to “They are both happy,” arguing that the reader might be misled into expecting more information to appear in the second sentence: They are both happy and something else—what? In reality though, readers are used to parsing a sentence with both correctly from context. Both the following sentences are perfectly acceptable and mean the same thing.
Example
- Correct: Both of them are happy.
or
Correct: They are both happy.
Interestingly, in sentences like “They are both happy,” both appears in an adverbial position (before the adjective). But it still refers to the noun phrase (their cats) rather than describing the adjective (happy). Therefore, it still functions as a pronoun rather than an adverb. Both often takes adverbial positions in sentences, still performing the duties of a pronoun by referring to a noun.
Examples
- They both want to go to Thailand.
between subject (they) and main verb (want)
- They have both already been to Malaysia.
after auxiliary verb (have)
- They can both paint.
after modal verb (can)
- They are both freelancers.
after be as the main verb (are)
Tip
When the main verb in a sentence is the be verb (are, were), the word both generally appears after rather than before the verb.
Example
- We were both happy.
Preferred to “We both were happy.” But “Both of us were happy” is perfectly fine.
They are both doctors.
Preferred to “They both are doctors.” But “Both of them are doctors” is perfectly fine.
Both–and as linking term
The word both combines with and to emphasize the inclusion of two people or things. Use both—and to join two parts of equal importance in a sentence.
Examples
- Anita is both kind and intelligent.
Emphasizes that she has both qualities and not just one; more emphatic than “Anita is
kind and intelligent.”
- Lulu likes both cupcakes and muffins.
- We are open on both Saturday and Sunday.
- You need to submit both an application and a statement of purpose.
- Both Anita and Maya have applied for this job.
- You should pack both shoes and sandals.
Both and and thus form a pair of correlative conjunctions. In formal writing, the two elements joined by both–and should be grammatically balanced and parallel in structure.
Examples
- Poor: They have offices both in London and Paris.
Both and and should join two balanced elements in a sentence. “In London” is a prepositional phrase, while “Paris” is a noun. Take “in” out of the construction to create balance.
Better: They have offices in both London and Paris.
Both and and now join two balanced elements, which are both nouns.
- Poor: We are open both on weekends and weekdays.
Better: We are open both on weekends and on weekdays. - Poor: This contract needs to be signed both by Anita and me.
Better: This contract needs to be signed by both Anita and me.
Caution
In formal writing (such as academic, business, and other official texts), ensure parallel structure. Don’t use both–and to join two unbalanced or mismatched elements in a sentence.
Example
- Poor: I have worked both in sales and manufacturing.
Better: I have worked in both sales and manufacturing.
Both-and can join two pairs of plural nouns to refer to two classes or categories of things.
Examples
- Both cats and dogs make great companions.
- You should eat both almonds and walnuts.
Both is not generally used with other connectives like as well as and together with in formal writing, although such constructions are occasionally seen in informal usage. These connectives are quasi-conjunctions, so using them in place of and is semantically possible but causes syntactic confusion, which is probably why most writers and editors avoid such usage altogether.
Example
- Poor: Both the cat as well as the dog like pizza.
Better: Both the cat and the dog like pizza.
Both in negatives: Both vs. neither and either
In general, use neither instead of both in negative sentences: for example, use “neither can” instead of “both can’t.”
Examples
- Neither of the contestants can bake.
Preferred to “Both the contestants can’t bake.”
- Neither of them is an astronaut.
Instead of “Both of them are not astronauts.”
Similarly, use neither–nor instead of both–and in negative sentences.
Examples
- Neither my mother nor my father can bake.
Preferred to “Both my mother and my father cannot bake.”
- Neither the bus nor the train is available.
Instead of “Both the bus and the train aren’t available.”
Both may sometimes be used in negative statements when the word not needs to be emphasized.
Example
- “I thought they were experts.”
“Well, clearly, they are both not experts.”
Note
With a negative verb, use either instead of both to refer to two people or things.
Examples
- It isn’t clear from
both studies/either study whether caffeine is good or bad for you. - Farley hasn’t heard back from
both/either of the places he applied to last month.
With either-or constructions, not both may be used to emphasize the exclusive nature of the options presented.
Examples
- You can have shoes that are either pretty or comfortable, not both.
- This implies that people can be either wealthy or decent, not both.
Use of the: Both or both the?
The article the is often omitted after both, although using it is not incorrect.
Examples
- Both (the) movies deserve an Oscar.
- We should talk to both (the) students about respecting people’s boundaries.
- Because both (the) applicants are equally qualified, it’s impossible to choose.
Determiners are often omitted after both when it is clear what is being referred to.
Example
- Both these cupcakes are mine.
or
Both cupcakes are mine.
Commas with both
In general, a comma isn’t needed before or after both in a sentence.
Examples
- Poco likes both pizza and pasta.
- Both Mauritius and Fiji are beautiful countries.
- Mauritius and Fiji are both beautiful countries.
A comma may be required for a reason unrelated to the use of both—for example, after a subordinate clause or before a nonrestrictive clause. Use the comma then as usual.
Examples
- If this is right, both of us are wrong.
- I bought both, which is funny because neither of them fits me.
Examples from literature
Here are some examples from published writing that show how the word both is used in sentences.
Examples
They had daubed my face and both my hands with a sort of ointment, very pleasant to the smell, which, in a few minutes, removed all the smart of their arrows.
I promised myself both of these when my creation should be complete.
‘Really, girls, you are both to be blamed,’ said Meg.
A gross deception has been practised on both of us.
— Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest (1895)
He had either been engaged to somebody or quarrelled with her family and old Parry disliked them both equally, which was a great bond.
The best marriages, like the best lives, were both happy and unhappy.
The word that I’m thinking of right now is genre, one of those French words, like crêpe, that no one can pronounce both correctly and without sounding pretentious.
— Michael Chabon, Introduction to McSweeney’s Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories (2004)
Which one is correct sentence?
The girls both danced.
Or
Both girls danced.
We face the problem of placing both at the right place in a sentence if we don’t know different functions of the word both. In this post we will learn where both should be placed in a sentence.
What does both mean ?
Both can be an adjective, a pronoun and a conjunction.
- Both dogs dwell inside an abandon house: here both acts as adjective.
- Both dwell inside an abandon house: here both acts as pronoun.
- Both dog and cat dwell inside an abandon house: here both acts as conjunction because it connects two things.
How do we use both in a sentence?
When both is used with a pronoun:
- Both follows a single pronoun. When we use both with a pronoun, we say ‘They both play football’ or ‘Both of them play football’. More examples below:
- They both wanted another dog = Both of them wanted another dog.
- We both read novel = Both of us read novel.
- They both wanted a baby = Both of them wanted a baby.
According to Penguin Dictionary of American English, we can say both of them, but not both them.
«Both often goes with «of » when a pronoun follows: «Give me both of them.» You would not say «Give me both them.» But «The referee penalized both them and us» is correct, because both always demands two things.
Penguin Dictionary of American English says that we should prefer both girls or both of the girls to both the girls. If you choose to write both the girls, it demands to add one more phrase with the «and«. Here we make the sentence «Both the girls and the boys« sounds perfect for a sentence.
- When both is used with a single noun, both precedes a single noun, for example ‘Both boys played cricket’, not ‘Boys both played cricket’.
But if a sentence has a linking verb (is, are, was, were), both either follows a single noun after the linking verb or precedes a noun.
The men were both happy = Both men were happy.
Passengers were both tired = Both passengers were tired.
Both women are beautiful = Women are both beautiful.
If there are two nouns or a double noun, like sister and brother, cat and dog, son and daughter, etc; both can follow or precede them. More examples:
- Sister and brother both qualified the exam = Both sister and brother qualified the exam.
- Both John and I trespassed the land = John and I both trespassed the land.
Both of must be followed by a pronoun, not by a noun.
We should write both of them, both of us.
However, we can also write both girls or both of the girls , both men or both of the men, both boys or both of the boys, both animals or both of the animals, include the when both of is followed by a noun; we should avoid writing both the girls, both the men, both the boys as these phrases seem to be half not complete. For more see what Penguin Dictionary says at the top of the post.
Both uses «and» , not as well as, to connect two things in a sentence, and the things must be parallel in structure.
Both sister and brother qualified the exam. ✔
Both sister as well as brother qualified the exam. ✘
What Penguin Dictionary of American English says:
When both is combined with «and» (forming a pair of correlative conjunctions), what follows one must match grammatically what follows the other. If a clause follows the both, a similar clause must follow the and. A phrase must be paralleled by a similar phrase, a verb by verb, a noun by a noun. For example, They like both playing and reading. My mother loves both to buy new jewelry and to sell old jewelry.
Can we use The with both?
Penguin Dictionary says,
Some authorities object to «the» before both. It is at least unnecessary in ‘She scorns the both of them‘ and strained in ‘The both men were disappointed.’ In each instance, either omit »the» or change »both» to two.
In a nutshell
Use of both in a sentence:
When we use both with a noun, we can write a sentence in these patterns:
The babies are both cute = Both of the babies are cute = Both babies are cute.
Avoid the pattern Both the babies are cute, because both, in these pattern, demands one more noun. The sentence Both the babies and the mom are cute sounds perfect and correct.
When we use both with a pronoun, we can say either we both/they both etc or both of us/both of them; the meaning is the same.
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Examples of how to use the word “both” in a sentence. How to connect “both” with other words to make correct English sentences. (High-quality Audio!)
both (det, pron): (referring to) two people or things together;
Use “both” in a sentence
| Hold the box with both hands. |
| Water and oil are both liquids. |
| I am now very healthy, both physically and mentally. |
| Yoga is very healthy for both body and spirit. |
| “Never test the depth of water with both feet.” |
| The results of both tests were negative. |
| They both love reading. |
| He has both knowledge and experience. |
| They are both working at the pet store.
Back to “3000 Most Common Words in English” |
The term both is commonly used in technical writing to indicate similarity between samples, datasets, or values. However, the dictionary definition of ‘both’ — “one and the other” — does little to clarify the meaning or proper use of this word. Furthermore, ‘both’ can be used as either a pronoun or a conjunction, and each of these contexts has its own grammatical rules. As a result, there is often confusion about how to properly use this term in technical writing. This post outlines a few simple rules governing the use of both.
‘Both’ as a pronoun
As a pronoun, ‘both’ indicates that two items are being discussed and is therefore used in place of the phrase “the two.” The use of ‘both’ to discuss three or more entities is grammatically incorrect.
- Both samples were measured. (i.e., The two samples were measured.)
- There were two outliers, and we removed both.
‘Both’ as a conjunction
As a conjunction, ‘both’ should only be used with ‘and’; its use with other conjunctive phrases (e.g., “as well as” and “along with”) is not preferred. The pairing of ‘both’ with ‘and’ forms a grammatical construct known as a correlative conjunction (other examples of correlative conjunctions are “either…or” and “not only…but also”).
In the examples below, “both…and” is used as a conjunction relating two nouns, two adjectives, and two verbs, respectively.
- Both measurement A and measurement B had a value of 1.
- The assay was both simple and rapid.
- We both mixed and heated the sample.
Use with the phrase «the same»
Furthermore, as a conjunction, ‘both’ emphasizes that the two entities being discussed (whether nouns, verbs, or adjectives) are included equally. Therefore, the use of the term “the same” with ‘both’ is often redundant. You can drop one of these terms to make your writing more concise:
- Both measurement A and measurement B had the same value. (Incorrect)
- Measurement A and measurement B had the same value; both measurement A and measurement B had a value of one. (Correct)
In contrast, the use of “the same” is acceptable when using ‘both’ as a pronoun.
- Both measurements had the same value.
- Both trials had the same number of participants.
- The same conditions were used for both samples.
We hope that these few simple rules and examples will help to guide you in your use of the term both. If you have any comments or questions, please email us at [email protected]. Best wishes!
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1. Power invariably means both responsibility and danger. 
2. There is much to be said on both sides.
3. A long dispute means that both parties are wrong.
4. The wolf and fox are both privateers.
5. Take one’s courage in both hands.
6. It is good to have some friends both in heaven and hell.
7. Friendship is both a source of pleasure and a component of good health.
8. By gambling we lose both time and treasure, two things most precious to the life of man.
9. If the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
10. Both of the women were French.
11. The company deals in both hardware and software.
12. The trade agreements is advantageous to both countries.
13. Both sides have agreed to sign the treaty .
14. Both her children still live at home.
15. Both of them died in abject poverty.
15. Wish you can benefit from our online sentence dictionary and make progress day by day!
16. May you both live a long and healthy life.
17. Would it would be too extravagant to buy both?
18. We both slept right through the storm.
19. He kissed her on both cheeks.
20. Hold the wheel in both hands, thus.
21. We have both seen the movie.
22. She lifted her veil with both hands.
23. May you both live long and healthy lives.
24. Fluid includes both gasses and liquids.
25. Spelling and good grammar are both very important.
26. Both powers withdrew their forces from the region.
27. A new direction was felt desirable for both parties.
28. The best of all good wishes to you both.
29. Truth and love are two of the most powerful things in the world; and when they both go together they cannot easily be withstood.
30. A father is a treasure, a brother is a comfort(sentencedict.com), but a friend is both.
More similar words: bother, robot, bottled, other, others, mother, another, tooth, brother, booth, one another, nothing, and others, smooth, so that, mothering, each other, cannot help, other than, smooth out, grandmother, clothing, to the life, the other day, two-thirds, nothing but, every other, go through, to the full, to the limit.