Or vs. Nor – What’s the Difference? (Helpful Examples)

The two conjunctions “or” and “nor” are commonly misused and confused by English learners and natives alike. This page explains the differences between “nor” and “or” and contains examples of both terms in context.

Or vs. Nor – What’s the Difference?

The major difference between “or” and “nor” is that “or” is used to connect two options or possibilities, whilst “nor” is used for the same thing but for negative sentences. The term “nor” is usually used with “neither”, whilst “or” is used primarily with “either.”

Or vs. Nor

Generally speaking, ”either” is used with “or” in positive sentences and “neither” is used with “nor” in negative sentences. However, several rules mean the situation is not so black and white.

A few of these rules are listed below.

1. When making a negative statement that doesn’t contain “either” or “neither”, and the second item is a noun, adjective, or adverb phrase, you should use “or” instead of “nor” to continue the negation.

  • He doesn’t like pizza or pasta. 
  • He isn’t coming tonight or tomorrow because he is sick.
  • He doesn’t speak English clearly or fluently.

2. If the thing which follows “neither” is a verb clause, you should use “nor”; if it is a noun/adjective/adverb, then you can also use “or.”

  • He neither arrived on time nor phoned to tell us he would be late.
  • He is neither punctual nor considerate.
  • He is neither a punctual or considerate man.

3. When listing more than two things, you should place “nor” before each of them without any commas.

  • The supermarket had neither bread nor milk nor juice nor cheese.

4. The structure between “neither” and “nor” should be the same. I.e. if “neither” is followed by a verb, then “nor” should be followed by a verb. Likewise, if “neither” is followed by a noun/adjective/adverb, then “nor” should be followed by the same type of word.

  • She likes neither seafood nor meat.
  • She likes neither eating seafood nor eating meat.
  • She likes neither eating seafood nor meat. – INCORRECT

When to Use “Or”

There are several occasions when you can use the word “or” to distinguish between two or more options. “Or” is usually used in affirmative sentences and is often combined with “either.”

Here are some examples of when you can use “or”:

1. When using the words “either” or “neither” to distinguish between options, you can use “or”  for “either” and “nor” for neither.

However, sometimes, even if the sentence is negative with the word “neither”, when there are nouns, adverbs, or adjectives phrases after the “neither”, you can sometimes use “or” and “nor.”

  • I am going to either France or Spain this summer.
  • I am not going to either France or Spain again.
  • We can eat either fish or shellfish, you decide.
  • She likes neither fish or shellfish.

2. In positive sentences with several options

  • We can go out tonight or tomorrow.
  • I must decide between the blue or red version.

When to Use “Nor”

There are several situations where you can use the word “nor”, but it is “usually” always in negative sentences. It is usually, but not always, used with the word “neither”.

Here are some of the situations where you can use “nor”:

1. In negative sentences containing “neither” where the options are verb clauses, you should always use “nor”:

  • Your defense is not deemed satisfactory by the committee, nor will it be.
  • The store will not be opened on Christmas Day, nor will it be opened on New Year’s Day.

2. In negative sentences with “neither”, where the options are nouns/adjectives/adverbs, you can use both “nor” and “or.”

Just ensure that the structure of noun>noun or adjective>adjective is followed.

  • Her tone was neither strict nor demanding.
  • We heard neither the phone nor the door.

Conclusion

The primary difference between “nor” and “or” is that the latter is used more in positive affirmative sentences, and the former is used in negative sentences. Also, the term “nor” is usually with the word “neither”, and “or” is used with “either.” However, sometimes, “or” is also used with “neither”, especially for nouns/adjectives/adverbs.