Use Too and Either

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

what are the rules governing the use of too and either?

Example:

Mary did not go to the concert last week, I did not go too.
Mary did not go to the concert last week, I did not go either.
Help me get out of the prison, too.

Either is a correlative conjunction (is that right?). Either…or, but in the sentence above, it is not used with or.

I want to be enlightened about this matter.

Thanks.

2

Hi planetypus

The word either is used in negative sentences instead of the word too.

So, your first sentence is not correct and the correct sentence would be:
Mary did not go to the concert last week, and I did not go either.

Amy

3

Hello Yankee!

Thanks a lot! Your answer makes a lot of sense to me. Sometimes, I just feel comfortable using a certain sentence structure without even knowing the reason supporting such syntax.

4

You’re welcome, Planetypus.

That’s the general “rule”, but I guess I should also mention that there are a few exceptions.

For, example, you can use too in a negative sentence if it is not at the end of the sentence:
“He, too, didn’t go.” = He didn’t go either.

Another exception is when you use too in a sentence that is asking for confirmation of an affirmative. For example, if I was at a big party and I believe you were also there and I now want to ask you to confirm my belief, I might ask you:
“Weren’t you there, too?” = “I was there and I think you were there, too. Am I right?”

For the above sentence, if you use either, the meaning changes (because you would then be confirming a negative):
“Weren’t you there either?” = “I was not there and I think you were not there either. Am I right?”

Amy