Question

Fill in the blank with the correct option:
There were coconut trees on ______ side of the road.
a. either
b. neither
c. both
d. every

Answer 1

Hint: Pronouns are used in place of a noun or a noun phrase. For example, The little boy seemed fragile but he turned out to be very brave. Here, the pronoun ‘he’ substitutes the noun phrase, ‘the little boy’.

Complete answer:
From the hint given to us, we understand the meaning of a pronoun. Thus, we can infer that the correct answer is a pronoun. Let us analyse the given options one by one to find the correct answer.
a. Either means one or the other of the two options. For example, my mother did not like her either. We observe that ‘either’ fits the context of the given sentence correctly. Hence, we can say that option ‘a’ is the correct answer.
b. Neither means none of the two options. For example, neither of my friends are smart. We observe that ‘neither’ does not correctly fit the context of the given sentence. Hence, we can say that option ‘b’ is not the correct answer.
c. Both means two people or objects. For example, both of her classmates are very good orators. We observe that ‘both’ does not fit the context of the given sentence correctly. Hence, we can say that option ‘c’ is not the correct answer.
d. Every is a determiner which is used before a noun. It means each and every. For example, every girl of her class actively took part in the school activities. We observe that ‘every’ does not fit the context of the given sentence correctly. Hence, we can say that option ‘d’ is not the correct answer.
Thus, the correct answer is option ‘a’ - either.

Note: A determiner is placed before a noun. Some of the pronouns act as determiners too. Determiners are used to modify a noun and not replace it. For example, Sara was playing with her toys. Here, ‘her’ is a determiner.