Both, Either, Neither, All, Every and Each

The situation

Alex edits a local community newsletter. Alex writes articles, prepares photographs, designs pages and sends the finished newsletter to contributors and readers. Recently, Alex has also become interested in making short videos about local events.

The present computer is becoming unreliable. The desk is crowded, and there is not much room for additional equipment. Alex has a budget of £1,500 and must decide which one purchase would be most useful.

Alex is considering an HP laptop, a Mesh desktop computer, an Apple iPhone and a Samsung Galaxy smartphone.

Your task: examine the products, learn how we talk about two things and groups, and decide which purchase would best meet Alex's needs. There is no single correct recommendation.

1. The four products

The examples use real products and indicative UK prices checked on 8 November 2026. Prices and availability can change.

HP OmniBook 5 16-inch laptop

About £899

AMD Ryzen 7 processor
16 GB RAM; 1 TB SSD
16-inch 2K screen
Integrated AMD Radeon graphics
Built-in keyboard and rechargeable battery

A portable computer with a relatively large screen and proper keyboard. Suitable for writing, page layout, research and everyday creative work.

HP product information

Mesh Matrix desktop PC

£559 computer; about £668 complete

AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT processor
16 GB RAM; 500 GB NVMe SSD
Integrated AMD Radeon Vega graphics
Windows 11 Pro

It needs a separate monitor, keyboard and mouse. Allow about £79 for a 24-inch monitor and £30 for a basic keyboard and mouse: estimated complete cost £668.

Mesh Matrix specifications · Example monitor

Apple iPhone 17

From £899

6.3-inch OLED display
256 GB base storage
48 MP main and 48 MP ultra-wide cameras
177 grams

Very portable and convenient for recording, photography, communication and quick edits. Its small screen and lack of a built-in physical keyboard make extended page layout and typing less comfortable.

Apple technical specifications · Apple UK prices

Samsung Galaxy S26

From £709

6.3-inch display
256 GB storage and 12 GB memory in the listed configuration
50 MP main, 12 MP ultra-wide and 10 MP telephoto cameras
167 grams

Also very portable, with a versatile camera system and a wide choice of Android apps. Like the iPhone, the screen is small for detailed page design and there is no built-in physical keyboard.

Samsung specifications · Samsung UK prices

At a glance

Product	Approximate total cost	Screen	Portability	Physical keyboard
HP OmniBook 5	£899	16 inches	Portable	Built in
Mesh Matrix + accessories	£668	24-inch monitor	Not designed to move regularly	Separate
iPhone 17	£899	6.3 inches	Very portable	No
Galaxy S26	£709	6.3 inches	Very portable	No

The desktop total includes an estimated £79 monitor and £30 keyboard/mouse allowance. Prices are a dated teaching snapshot, not a purchase recommendation. Both computers listed use integrated graphics; neither is presented as a specialist high-end video-editing workstation.

2. Talking about two things: both, either and neither

Both

Both means the two together: Both smartphones are easy to carry. Both computers have physical keyboards.

Either

Either means one or the other of two possibilities: Either computer would be suitable for writing articles.

Neither

Neither means not one and not the other: Neither smartphone has a screen as large as the computers' screens.

Paired forms: both ... and (Both the HP and the Mesh have keyboards); either ... or (Alex could choose either the iPhone or the Galaxy); neither ... nor (Neither the HP nor the Mesh is as easy to carry as a phone).

Agreement: both computers are; either computer is; neither computer is. In these patterns, both takes a plural noun and verb; either and neither normally take a singular noun and verb.

3. Talking about a group: all, every, each and none

All four products can connect to the internet. (The group as a whole.)
Every product has advantages and disadvantages. (Each member of the group.)
Each product has different strengths. (Members considered individually.)
None of the four products is perfect for every purpose. (Not one of them.)

Expression	Construction	Example
all	all + plural noun; all of + determiner + plural noun	All four products have advantages.
every	every + singular countable noun + singular verb	Every product has a limitation.
each	each + singular noun; each of + plural noun/pronoun	Each product has a different price. Each of them has advantages.
none	none of + plural noun/pronoun or uncountable noun	None of them meets every requirement.

Each and every are followed by a singular countable noun: each product, every product. Say each of the products, not each of products.

None can take a singular or plural verb with a plural group: None of the products is perfect and None of the products are perfect are both used in modern English. The model answers in this unit use a singular verb for consistency.

4. Negative quantity

No keyboard is built into either smartphone.
Not ... any: Alex does not have any spare desk space.
Hardly any: There is hardly any room for another large monitor.
Very little: There is very little free space on the desk.
Very few: Very few accessories are included with some products.
Not enough: The phone screens are not large enough for comfortable page layout.
Too much / too many: Alex has too much equipment on the desk and too many cables.

Little and much are used with uncountable nouns; few and many are used with plural countable nouns.

5. Practice

Choose the best answer. Press Check answers to see your score and feedback. You can reveal the answers or try again.

Practice 1 – Both, either or neither?

1. The HP and the Mesh have physical keyboards. ___ computers have keyboards.

2. The HP and Mesh both meet Alex's need for a keyboard. ___ computer would be suitable.

3. ___ smartphone has a screen as large as the computers' screens.

4. ___ the iPhone nor the Galaxy has a built-in physical keyboard.

5. Alex has not decided between the computers. ___ the HP or the Mesh could be chosen.

6. ___ smartphones are convenient for recording videos.

Answers: 1 Both; 2 Either; 3 Neither; 4 Neither; 5 Either; 6 Both.

Practice 2 – All, every, each or none?

1. ___ four products can connect to the internet.

2. ___ product has at least one disadvantage.

3. Alex examined the products one by one. ___ product had a different price.

4. ___ of the four products is perfect for every purpose.

5. ___ of the two computers can be used with a physical keyboard.

6. ___ four products have advantages for Alex.

Answers: 1 All; 2 Every or Each; 3 Each; 4 None; 5 Each; 6 All.

Practice 3 – Negative quantity

1. There is ___ room left on Alex's desk. (almost no room)

2. Alex has ___ cables and accessories on the desk. (a large number)

3. The phone screens are not ___ for designing several pages at once.

4. The Mesh desktop has ___ storage than the HP laptop in the configurations shown.

5. There are ___ spare USB ports available on the old computer. (not many)

Answers: 1 hardly any; 2 too many; 3 large enough; 4 less; 5 very few.

Practice 4 – Read the comparison carefully

1. Which statement is supported?

2. Which statement is supported?

3. Which statement is supported?

4. Which statement is supported?

Answers: 1 Both smartphones have 6.3-inch screens; 2 Neither smartphone has a built-in physical keyboard; 3 Both computers have 16 GB of RAM; 4 None of the four products costs more than £1,500.

6. Reading – Alex makes a decision

Alex spent several evenings comparing the four products. At first, the choice seemed simple. The desktop computer offered a separate monitor and keyboard, while the laptop combined these features in one portable machine. The smartphones were much easier to carry, and both had good cameras for recording events.

However, Alex realised that no single feature would decide the purchase. Newsletter production required a comfortable screen and keyboard. Video recording was important too, but a phone would not necessarily be the best device for editing long recordings. The desktop offered a larger working area, but it would take up more room. The laptop could be put away after use.

Alex also considered the cost. All four options were within the £1,500 budget, but none required Alex to spend the whole amount. Each product had advantages, and every option involved a compromise. Neither smartphone was ideal for designing a multi-page newsletter, but either could be useful for recording short videos and taking photographs.

In the end, Alex decided that the laptop offered the best balance. It had a large enough screen for newsletter work, a built-in keyboard and enough portability to be used in different rooms. Alex could keep the existing phone for recording videos. The decision was not perfect, but it suited the work Alex did most often.

Comprehension

1. Why did Alex consider a desktop?

2. Why were the smartphones not ideal for newsletter page design?

3. Which product did Alex choose?

Answers: 1 It offered a separate monitor and keyboard; 2 Their screens were relatively small and they had no built-in physical keyboard; 3 The laptop.

7. Your decision

Imagine that you are advising Alex. Would you recommend the HP laptop, the Mesh desktop, the iPhone or the Samsung Galaxy?

Write a short recommendation. Consider the work Alex does, the limited desk space and the £1,500 budget. Use at least six of these expressions:

both · either · neither · none · none of · all · every · each · hardly any · very little · not enough · too many

Explain why your choice is better for Alex than the alternatives. There is no single correct answer: your reasoning is what matters.

8. Discussion

Do you prefer a laptop or a desktop computer? Why?
How important are cameras and video recording when choosing a phone?
Would you spend the whole £1,500, or keep some money for accessories and software?
Do people sometimes buy features they hardly ever use?
Can AI make a good purchasing recommendation if it does not understand the buyer's priorities?

Sources and further checking

Specifications and indicative prices were checked on 8 November 2026. Prices can change. The Mesh desktop is listed by a UK reseller. The desktop estimate includes a monitor and basic keyboard/mouse allowance. These are teaching examples, not purchase advice.