0

It is difficult to predict what kinds of books will be popular in the years ahead, because tastes change and topics either get overexplored and lose their relevance.

I have placed the key words in bold type. Apparently, the word ‘and’ is grammatically wrong. Can anyone explain why?

Mari-Lou A
  • 91,183
Bernard the Bear
  • 121
  • 4
    The normal pattern is "either A or B". There's nothing wrong with 'and' per se, but you need an "or" somewhere for it to make sense, e.g. "...either get overexplored and lose their relevance, or something else entirely." – Brandin Apr 16 '15 at 22:10
  • 1
    BTW you should try to title the Q better (the fact that it is an SAT question is not really the important thing). Also search for similar Qs first. E.g. if you search for "either and" you can find this answer for example which pretty much talks about the same issue: http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/70066/either-and-vs-either-or – Brandin Apr 16 '15 at 22:16
  • thanks alot!!! now i feel dumb, didn't notice the 'either', i just spent an hour pondering – Bernard the Bear Apr 16 '15 at 22:17
  • I left the word overexplored untouched, but I think it should be written as two words. Could you double check the spelling? – Mari-Lou A Apr 16 '15 at 22:23
  • i think it is right, according to wiktionary, although i can't find the word in my longman contemporary english dictionary. the ets also finds it to be right – Bernard the Bear Apr 16 '15 at 22:30
  • @Mari-LouA OED over- prefix lists numerous other examples of applying the over- prefix in the same manner here http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/134249?rskey=u5O99K&result=7#eid. Sometimes they are hyphenated, sometimes not. IMO over- is a productive prefix which can be used to build any new word as needed. But writing them as two words would look wrong to me (hyphenated, perhaps, but a hyphenated word is still one word) – Brandin Apr 16 '15 at 22:33
  • 1
    @Mari Perhaps over-explored, but certainly not over explored. Verbal prefixes are always connected to their verbs somehow or other. (Basically what Brandin was 8 seconds quicker in saying!) – Janus Bahs Jacquet Apr 16 '15 at 22:33
  • Yes, the hyphen is better. Anything. I feel uncomfortable just looking at overexplored :) – Mari-Lou A Apr 16 '15 at 22:36

1 Answers1

1

When you use either, it should always be followed by an or and hence using and here makes it grammatically wrong.

rnaikzz
  • 145
  • This would be a stronger answer if it cited a reference work that corroborates its conclusion—but since it's correct and since no one else seems inclined to supply a documented answer that reaches the same conclusion, I'm upvoting this one to get the question out of the Unanswered Questions queue. – Sven Yargs Jun 16 '15 at 08:00