Correct No required in front of verb?

Question

How would you say "He neither smokes nor drinks."?The correct answer ignores the rule requiring No in front of a verb. Please explain. Many thanks,Shirley. Ni fuma ni bebe.

Accepted Answer

Hola Shirley
When we say you need to "negate the verb" if the "ni...ni" structure comes after the verb, we mean in this sort of sentence:
"No fuimos ni a la playa ni a la montaña".
So, what you have in between the "ni...ni" are other elements but not verbs. 
In this other sentence "Ni fuma ni bebe" you are already negating the verb with "ni", so there is no other element to negate. It'd be different if you said something like:
"No le gusta ni fumar ni beber" 
Here you have a verb in the beginning "gustar", therefore you do need to put a "no" in front.
Does that make sense?
Inma