Using of either and or

[msn]

Is this correct to say:

I do not have either James or John in this room.
Thanks!

[Torsten]

It’s not quite clear what you want to say. Maybe “I can see neither James nor John in this room”.

[Alan]

That’s acceptable but I think you need to clarify the use of ‘have’ in this sentence.

[msn]

Thanks Torsten and Alan, for your help!

I wanted to say - no one is there in the room (James or John).

My question is is it okay to use -either or- in this way (kind of negative).

Thanks!

[Anglophile]

Then you may say:

1. I don’t see either James or John in the room.
2. I see neither James nor John in the room.

[msn]

Thanks Anglophile, for your help!

[Masme]

Double negation, Torsten! Never in Germanic languages, except in their dialects.

[Masme]

Speaking of double negations, here’s a sentence or phrase I once heard in a comedy show:

“I ain’t ne’er done it, sir.” I used an inverted comma in ‘never’ to show that the letter ‘v’ is not pronounced here, nor the letter ‘t’ which is not left out.
P.S.: Shakespeare’s works are full of these words.

[Masme]

“I don’t see James nor John in the room.” is also a possibility, however, I also prefer “neither…nor”.

[gronk_sr64]

‘Neither James nor John is in this room.’