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I read here:

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/both

We don’t use both with a negative verb; we use either instead:

So which one of the following sentences is correct?

*A. You haven’t done both jobs.

B. You haven’t done either job.*

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    What is unclear? Use "either" We don’t use both with a negative verb; we use either instead.
    – James K
    Commented Apr 12, 2022 at 5:53
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    Unless the sense is that one job has been done, but not both. Commented Apr 12, 2022 at 7:13
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    @Kate Bunting that means if he was given job A and job B, he didn't do job A nor job B, we will say: You haven’t done either job. But if he did job A but not job B, then we will say: You haven’t done both jobs. Right?
    – xeesid
    Commented Apr 15, 2022 at 6:27
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    It would be more natural to say "You've only done one of those jobs", but if "You haven't done both" has a meaning, it's "You have done only one" rather than "You haven't done either". Commented Apr 15, 2022 at 6:49

2 Answers 2

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They mean opposite things:

  • "You haven’t done both jobs" - this would mean you have done one, but not the other.
  • "You haven’t done either job" - this would mean you have done neither.

'Both', used as an adverb, means that the statement being made applies to, or is equally true of each of the two things. When you negate 'both', it means that the statement does not apply equally to the two, therefore it must apply to one.

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You stated the rule, so follow it.

We don’t use both with a negative verb; we use either instead.

In your example, haven't is a contraction for have not and it's a negative verb. So (B) is correct because it uses either:

B. You haven’t done either job.

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