Never + Nor in a Sentence – Meaning & How to Use

You may have learned that “neither” and “nor” are a team. But you may have wondered whether the same can be said for other phrases.

In particular, the use of “never” and “nor” is far less frequent. Is it correct? Keep reading to find out.

What Does Never + Nor Mean in a Sentence?

The phrase “never (x) nor (y)” is used to express a strong, negative assertion in a sentence. “Never” means “not ever” and “nor” is a coordinating conjunction that joins two clauses. When these words are combined in a sentence, “nor” acts as a correlative conjunction to the preceding “never”.

Consider the following sentence:

• I have never, nor will I ever, talk science with a philosopher.

“Nor” is a coordinating conjunction, just like “and”, “or”, and “but”. These conjunctions can be used to join two phrases, two dependent clauses, two independent clauses, or a dependent clause and an independent clause.

 However, you may recognize it most from its position as a correlative conjunction in the phrase “neither…nor…”

• It’s neither here nor there.

Correlative conjunctions are used to show how multiple clauses relate to one another. So, you might be asking, does “nor” correlate with “never”?

The simple answer is yes! In many circumstances, it is perfectly grammatically correct to use “never + nor”.

There are some circumstances where this phrase does not work, however. We’ll discuss this below.

Example Sentences of How to Use Never + Nor

“Nor” is generally used to show that a negative state in the first clause is continuing in the second. Here are some examples of how to use this phrase correctly:

• He had never seen her in school, nor in the normal spots that children frequent.
• It was never my intention to work with the government, nor did I have any say in the matter.
• I have never heard a cover of Hard to Handle, nor any other Otis Redding song, that I enjoyed.
• They were never willing to speak to me, nor my representative.
• I will never know what’s behind that door, nor do I want to.

As you can see, “nor” is used in the above sentences to indicate that the negative used in the first clause has proceeded to the second as well.

Never Nor or Never Or?

Although it is grammatically correct to use “never + nor” in a sentence, some English speakers argue that this creates a double negative and should be avoided.

This is mainly the case if the second negative item is a noun, adjective, or adverb phrase. It is argued that the initial negative will carry over to the next phrase, and “or” should be used instead. Here are some examples

• Adjective: One should never sing, whistle, or hum in her presence.
• Noun: I have never taken an interest in film or television.
• Adverb: He never spoke to me kindly or gently.

If you replace these sentences with “nor”, they might sound a little bit off. That’s because the initial negative from the first clause carries over.

On the other hand, in sentences where the second negative item is not an adjective, noun, or adverb, it is suitable to use either “nor” or “or”.  For example:

• I’ve never wanted to go to France, nor any other country in Europe.
• I’ve never wanted to go to France or any other country in Europe.

In short, whether it’s appropriate to use “nor” after “never” depends on the sentence itself.

Alternatives to Using Never + Nor

If the whole “negative state carrying over” thing has got your brain throbbing, worry not! There’s always the option of making a few quick changes to your sentence and avoiding the “nor/or” issue entirely.

Here are some ways to rephrase our examples above:

You can always use the good old “neither + nor” instead:

• He had never seen her in school, nor in the normal spots that children frequent.
• -> He had neither seen her in school nor in the normal spots that children frequent.

You can use the phrase “let alone”:

• I’ve never wanted to go to France, nor any other country in Europe.
• -> I’ve never wanted to go to France, let alone any other country in Europe.

You can switch conjunctions, using “and” instead:

• I have never, nor will I ever, talk science with a philosopher.
• -> I have never, and will never, talk science with a philosopher.

Final Thoughts

“Never + nor” is grammatically correct and can be used as a correlative conjunction. It can, therefore, be used in sentences where two negative items are linked. However, “or” should be used instead if the second negative item is a noun, adjective, or adverb phrase.