word choice - Should I use 'or' or 'nor'?



This document does not cover the SDK interfaces nor any other reference material.



I think the above is correct, but my grammatical checker in Microsoft Word underlines nor and suggests or. Why?



Answer



If the two options are negative (neither this nor that) then use "nor". Otherwise, use "or". Your example sentence can be reworded to read, "This document covers neither the SDK interfaces nor any other reference material."


NOTE: In my experience, Word's grammar checker is mediocre at best. It has a tendency to look at a sentence and suggest the opposite of the correct word. It was especially bad with [your/you're] in versions up to and including 2003, so I just keep it turned off and rely on thorough proof-reading.


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