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  1. The earth does not shine by its own light.
  2. The moon does not shine by its own light.

When these two sentences are joined, which words should be used, "both ... and..." or "neither ... nor..."?

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As you are discussing a negative, "don't shine ...", you would normally use "neither" to combine them. "Neither the Earth nor the Moon shine by their own light." To use "both" you would have to recast it in the positive. Like, "Both the Earth and the Moon shine by reflected light."

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Neither does the earth shine by its own light, nor does the moon.

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    In general, please explain why your answers are correct or acceptable. - From Review
    – Em.
    Aug 15, 2016 at 14:22
  • This is a very formal and archaic-sounding construction; I would not recommend it for normal usage.
    – Hellion
    Aug 15, 2016 at 21:50

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