‘Or’ (conjunction) – It connects two or more possibilities i.e. when we are stating or asking about two possibilities we use ‘or’. Example:
- Would you like tea or coffee?
- Is it a boy or a girl?
- Are you coming or not?
- Is it day or night?
Either-or: to say that there are two alternatives and no other alternatives are possible. Example:
- I will either buy that book or borrow it from the library.
- We can take either the bus or the train.
- That is either Polly or her twin sister Molly.
- Either we stay here or we don’t.
Not-or: to include two or more things in a negative statement. Example:
- Jenny has never been to school. She cannot read or write.
- Grandmother has lost her stick. Now she cannot stand or walk.
- There isn’t any soap or toothpaste or shampoo in the bathroom.
- I have a very sore throat. I cannot have a cold drink or an ice- cream.
Whether-or: to report or ask indirectly, questions about alternatives. Example:
- I don’t know whether to go for the wedding or not?
- I don’t know whether they eat non-vegetarian food or not?
- Call the manager and ask whether the guests have arrived or not?
- I can’t remember whether their house is on this road or that one.