So do I / Neither do I.
This lesson is about agreeing with someone using the expressions “so… I” (so do I) and “neither… I” (neither do I). The exercises for this topic are here. This lesson is part of an Intermediate English course.
- Tom: “I want to speak better English.”
- Maria: “So do I.”
- Tom: “But I don’t like doing homework.”
- Maria: “Neither do I.”
In the conversation above, Maria is saying that she has something in common with Tom. She uses the forms “So..I” and “Neither … I”.
To understand how to use these forms better, read the grammar description below and then try the exercises!
So…I
To express that we have something in common with someone else in positive sentences in English we can use the expression “So… I”. The verb that we put in the middle changes, depending on what we are agreeing with. Look at these examples.
- I live in London.
- So do I!
- I am hungry!
- So am I.
To do this we copy…
- the verb “to be”, (so am I, so was I, so are they…)
- the modal verb . (So can I, so should we, so is he…)
- the auxiliary verb. (So have I, so had they, so did she…)
Examples of So… I with different types of verbs.
This table shows examples of copying each type of verb listed above, with the original sentence and the agreement response. Pay attention to the verbs in bold.
| Type of verb | Original Sentence | Agreement response |
|---|---|---|
| Modal verbs such as can, should, must, would or will. | “I can swim.” | “So can I.” |
| The verb “to be“. | “I am happy.” | “So am I.” |
| “I will go to the party.” | “So will I.” | |
| Auxiliary verbs such as have, had or “to be” | “I was working.” | “So was I.” |
| “I have finished.” | “So have I.” | |
| Auxiliary verb “do” when it is not shown in the original sentence. | “I live in a flat.” | “So do I.” |
| “I have an Android phone.” | “So do I.” |
TIP! If there is no obvious modal, to be or auxiliary to copy (“I live in a flat”), just make the sentence into a question (“Do I live in a flat?”) and the auxiliary you need will appear!
TRAP! Be careful with sentences which use the verb have (“I have a dog”). In this example, “have” is a main verb, it is not an auxiliary. Many learners will respond with “so have I”. This is not correct, the correct response is “so do I”. Do not confuse have as a main verb with have as an auxiliary!
Neither…I
When someone uses a verb in a negative form and we want to show that we agree or share this characteristic, we use the form “neither…I” The verb form that we put in the middle is in its positive form. The word neither negates the word.
Examples of Neither… I with different types of verbs.
| Type of verb | Original Sentence | Negative Agreement response |
|---|---|---|
| Modal verbs such as can, should, must, would or will. | “I can‘t swim.” | “Neither can I.” |
| The verb “to be“. | “I am not happy.” | “Neither am I.” |
| “I won’t go to the party.” | “Neither will I.” | |
| Auxiliary verbs such as have, had or “to be” | “I was not working.” | “Neither was I.” |
| “I haven’t finished.” | “Neither have I.” | |
| Auxiliary verb “do” when it is not shown in the original sentence. | “I don’t live in a flat.” | “Neither do I.” |
| “I don’t have an Android phone.” | “Neither do I.” |
TRAP! Be careful not to negate the verb when it is already negated with “neither“. Many students fall into treh trap of responding to “I can’t drive” with “neither can’t I”. The correct response is “Neither can I”. The word neither is already doing the job of negating the verb. In standard English we avoid double negatives.
Exercises
Check your comprehension of this topic with these interactive exercises.