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Example:

I wasn't sure if it was A, B, or C. [...], I still knew I would fail.

I thought of either way but I think is not grammatically correct.

What should I chose if I'm referring to two or more options?

wyc
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3 Answers3

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How about "whichever" or "no matter which...?"

I wasn't sure if it was A, B, or C. Whichever (or no matter which) way, I still knew I would fail.

Elian
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I would go with whatever or any of the.

RyeɃreḁd
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Either is not advisable in written English, though you hear it often enough in spoken English. My choice would be, "Whichever, I still knew I would fail."

Terpsichore
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  • Thanks. Can I use in any case as well? – wyc Apr 06 '14 at 15:25
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    I disagree with that written/spoken distinction. If anything, the written form is more likely to allow "either" with multiple alternatives (since writing usually lags behind speech, and forms like either of the three were far more acceptable a century or two ago than they are now). – FumbleFingers Apr 06 '14 at 15:43
  • @FumbleFingers I think the OP's question was directed more towards what would be considered good usage today. – Terpsichore Apr 06 '14 at 15:59
  • @janoChen Yes, you could use "in any case", but the phrase is commonly used with the general meaning of "anyhow". Though it contains the word "case", it's a phrase that doesn't particularly refer back to the previous sentence where you list cases. People will just read it as "anyhow" or "anyway". I would say, "whichever" is more likely to make the connection in the reader's mind with the previous sentence. – Terpsichore Apr 06 '14 at 16:09
  • @Terpsichore: I'm sure that's true. My point is that the vast majority of today's native speakers will be quite convinced either can only be validly used with *two* alternatives, so they're not likely to make a "mistake" in speech. But on average, the written form is more likely to include a higher percentage of "better educated" writers who might be quite prepared to use it with three or more alternatives (and not consider this to be a mistake). – FumbleFingers Apr 06 '14 at 16:23
  • @FumbleFingers H.W Fowler on the uses of either: " 3. The sense any one of a number (above two), as in either of the angles of a triangle, is loose; any or any one should be preferred." That was written nearly a century ago, and I have no reason to think it would be considered any less "loose" today to use either with multiple (>2) things. – Terpsichore Apr 06 '14 at 16:45
  • @Terpsichore: I can only suppose you didn't bother to follow my original link, showing that in Victorian times either of the three was at least ten times more common than it is today. By implication, at least some writers back then didn't consider it so "loose" as most writers today. Note that I'm not concerned with the rights and wrongs of the usage per se - simply with your assertion that people are more likely to use the "non-standard" version in speech than in writing. – FumbleFingers Apr 06 '14 at 17:04
  • @FumbleFingers I did follow your link, which shows a steady decline since mid-Victorian times. If by the early years of the last century, Fowler thought it was "loose", that would be even more true today. Since you've already conceded that "most writers" today wouldn't use either with >2 things, it supports what I said. It's much more common in speech than in writing. – Terpsichore Apr 06 '14 at 17:17
  • @Terpsichore: I'm baffled. My point is that since "everyone knows" either should only be used for two alternatives, it's not an aspect of usage where they would be likely to make mistakes in either speech or writing. But you've blithely asserted that they would be more likely to make a mistake in speech rather than writing, which seems unlikely to me. And I've given what I consider to be cogent reasons as to why in fact the very opposite might well be more true. – FumbleFingers Apr 06 '14 at 17:22