'nor' or 'neither' ?

[otakebi]

'Judy didn't come to the concert, and nor did Carmen.'

Is there any wrong English usage in this sentence?

According to an English grammar book published in Japan,

this sentence is wrong and 'nor' should be replaced by 'neither'.

Thank you.

[Tdol]

I'd use neither, but nor is common enough, I think, for it to be regarded as a regional/colloquial form.

[emsr2d2]

In BrE, I think "nor" is probably more common. However, the following are all correct:

Judy didn't come to the concert and nor did Carmen.
Judy didn't come to the concert and neither did Carmen.
Judy didn't come to the concert. Nor did Carmen. (For this to be grammatically correct, one person would say the first sentence and someone else would respond with the second sentence.)
Judy didn't come to the concert. Neither did Carmen. (Same as above.)
Neither Judy nor Carmen came to the concert.

[TheParser]

'Judy didn't come to the concert, and nor did Carmen.'

Is there any wrong English usage in this sentence?.

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


Hello,


1. Yes, that sentence is wrong according to the rules of American English.

2. Here is what four world-famous grammarians * say:

"For many speakers, especially in Am[erican]E[nglish], nor cannot be preceded by a coordinator."

a. Therefore, I believe that you may write:

Judy didn't come to the concert, and neither did Carmen.

Judy didn't come to the concert, nor did Carmen.

Judy didn't come to the concert; nor did Carmen.

Judy didn't come to the concert. Nor did Carmen.


* A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language (1985 edition, pages 928 and 937) by four scholars:

Professors Randolph Quirk, Sidney Greenbaum, Geoffrey Leech, and Jan Svartvik.


James

[5jj]

As there is a distinct lack of agreement on this, I wouldn't worry too much about it.