The choice between two plural nouns is simpler, as the verb should always be in the plural. We use either or and neither nor when talking about two possibilities. Neither nor used in a sentence in the negative sense when you want to say that two or more things are not true. It is a mistake to suppose that the pronoun none is singular only and must at all costs be followed by singular verbs or pronouns. Here the plural verb are agrees with the plural subject representatives. Since we use a singular verb after neither in this case, should the determiner before prayer also be singular. Focus your attention on the noun closest to the verb. In american english british english differs on this issue, as it does on many others. Two singular subjects connected by ornor require a. In sentence 4, the subject each might seem to be plural because the. If one of the elements is plural, the verb will be plural. Neither of my parents speaksspeak a foreign language.
When combining singular and plural nouns, the agreement is decided by the noun that is. Is either and neither singular or plural pronounantecedent. If a sentence contains neithernor, then is the following verb singular. Neither of my parents speaks speak a foreign language. Neither lions make good pets nor tigers make good pets. In formal styles, we use neither of with a singular verb when it is the subject. If the alternatives presented are both singular, then use a singular verb, like this.
Use a plural verb if one or both elements are plural. Under this condition, the verb is singular or plural based on the subject closest to the verb. But be careful when you have a singular and a plural clause to join together in the same sentence. Lets look at the example sentence from above again. The united states of america, the united arab emirates take singular verbs and pronouns. Either the manager or his representatives are going to attend the meeting. The pronoun neither is the subject of the sentence. Neither, neither nor and not either english grammar. Usually they will take a singular verb if both parts of the structure are singular, as in neither he nor his friend is ready, and if the first element is plural but the second element remains singular, the structure may still take a singular verb, as in neither my friends. Either the class teacher or the parents are going to. If your sentence requires you to indicate, without a doubt, you are talking plural, use the noncount noun as an adjective and attach it to a countable noun. Grammar lessons either or and neither nor my english pages.
Dont pay any attention to the myth that none always requires a singular verb. Neither my mother nor my father went to university. Neither of them were interested in going to university. If the subject is singular, it should be followed by a singular verb. Neither the plaintiff nor the defendants want to suggest settlement first. The singular verb is should be used because neither is singular think neither one figure.
In other words, although native speakers do sometimes use a plural verb after neither of, the use of a singular verb is still the expected form in formal contexts, because that is the form taught in schools. When using eitheror and neithernor, note the following rules. Neither father nor mother is going to attend the committee meeting. Subjectverb agreement means that the subject and verbs in a sentence must agree in number. Software is called a noncountable noncount noun, similar to, say, furniture. Neither margaret nor her manager isare going the singular. The plural verbs in the second set of examples may sound odd to some native speakers. Subject verb agreement subjects and verbs must agree in number. The problem with this site and others like it that permit anyone who thinks she has the correct answer to offer it up without any verification other than the number of i think so toos it accumulates is that, even though you come here to get an answer, in the end you have nothing other than the weight of collective knowledge or ignorance to determine correctness. If both elements are singular, then the verb is singular too. Can i do anything to help i dont know anybody who speaks portuguese. Interlinear i am not a hebrew scholar, but my understanding, as well as the common translations say that. If one subject is singular and one is plural, the verb agrees with the. Either kiana or casey is helping today with stage decorations.
Neither michael nor albert is correct this is the correct version per. We use anyone, anybody and anything to refer to both an open, unlimited set of things or people and specific things or people. Rule 5 the following words are singular and require a singular verb. However, the subject of the verb is the singular pronoun each, so that verb must be singular, too. Singular and plural verbs with eitheror and neithernor.
However, when one of the elements connected together with either is plural, the construct becomes plural if it is the element closest to the verb. Abstract nouns such as courage, cowardice, intelligence, and happiness are mass nouns because they cannot be combined with an indefinite article. Thus, whether to use a singular or plural verb depends on the noun that. Neither the slope nor the magnitude was reproduced by the model. However, if one of the things is plural, use a plural verb. If the subject is plural, it should be followed by a plural verb. If both subjects are singular or both plural, the choice for the verb is easy. This indefinite pronoun may take either a singular or a plural verb. Rule 3 when i is one of the two subjects connected by or neithernoreitheror, put it second and follow it with the singular verb am. You must convey the message that either the childs father or mother has to attend the committee meeting. Either of the magnet school programs are suitable for children gifted in mathematics. Either the measurements or the calculations have created a problem. If the subject is singular, the verb also needs to be singular, and the same goes for plural subjects and verbs as well.
If the closest subject is plural, use a plural verb. Your subjectverb agreement must be correct for singular nouns and plural nouns. Simply take the noun closest to the verb and ensure they agree. How to use the word software in plural form with verbs. If the conjunction nor appears in a sentence with neither. Anyone, anybody and anything are indefinite pronouns. Neither is paired with nor as either is with or, and in those uses as conjunctions they pose usage problems of agreement. Neither the directors nor their representative was contactable.
How to choose betwen singular and plural verbs with either. If one or both of the alternatives are plural, use a plural verb. Eitheror and neithernor limit the subject to one side or the other and do not add the alternative subjects together. The members of the family are each doing a separate chore. Either the measurement or the calculation has created a problem.
If it is singular, as in the sentence above, choose the singular verb. Plural verb with a plural element if the pairings eitheror often the either is omitted or neithernor form part of the subject and at least one of the elements is plural, then the verb must be plural too. Not only the human caretaker but also the monkey was rescued from the collapsed monkey. When or or nor joins two things, use a singular verb if both things are singular. If the noun is plural, choose the plural form of the verb. Neither of the two girls said their prayer before going to bed. If singular subjects are joined by or, nor, either or, neither nor, use a singular verb. When two subjects are joined by neithernor or eitheror, choosing the right number for the verb can be tricky for writers. According to grammar rules, if any of the elements are in plural form then the plural verb should be used, however the use of any of the causes difficulty with the introduction of an indefinite pronoun which could be used in a plural or singular. Are neither, nor and other correlative conjunctions singular or plural. Making collective nouns agree with verbs and pronouns. Some words, however, can be tricky and figuring out if you should pair a singular or plural verb or pronoun with them is essential. Here the singular verb was agrees with the singular. Word for word april 2003 22 neither, nor and none are treated as singular.
Look for the eitheror and neither nor constructions. The expression more than one is normally followed by a singular noun and verb. Neither the boy nor his sisters were wearing seatbelts. Usually, its pretty clear whether a noun is singular or plural. Care should be taken that the number of the subject agrees with that of the verb. The use of it implies at the start that you may have a collective group of software to look at rather than just one software, which is why you need to check for context when you use it. Any english grammar today a reference to written and spoken english grammar and usage cambridge dictionary. Magento software recommendations signal processing emacs. Either and neither, singular or plural the editors blog. After neither and either you use a singular verb neither candidate was selected for the job. So neither the men nor the woman is a good surfer is correct, as is neither the woman nor the men are good surfers. Neither the ox nor the wildebeest was found to look particularly decorative in the store window. The rules for using singular or plural verbs are the same for either and neither. If the subject closest to the verb is singular, use a singular verb.
The indefinite pronoun none requires some separate discussion. In cases such as those, when you are unsure of whether to use a singular or plural verb, you can add members of before the collective noun, and then use a plural verb because members is plural. If things continue like this, more than one person is going to lose his job. If you have a singular noun and a plural noun yoked with neithernor or eitheror, put the plural noun last. Compound subject contains both singular and plural noun or pronoun which is either joined by or or nor, the verb should agree with part of subject that is nearer the verb. Rules for subject verb agreement subject verb agreement. Neither is singular and requires a singular verb is. It is a mistake to suppose that the pronoun none is singular only and must. This means they both need to be either plural or singular. Plural or singular form of the verb subject verb agreement. Is either and neither singular or plural subject verb. However, in informal speaking, people often use plural verbs. That is, if you see neither followed by nor, or either followed by or, you cant automatically assume that the verb should be. A myth has emerged that none always requires a singular verb.
How negation neither, neither nor and not either not questions questions. Neither of and either of are followed by a plural noun or pronoun and a singular or plural verb. Neither the lawyer nor the detectives are able to follow the sequence of events. Two singular subjects connected by or neithernoreitheror require a singular verb as in rule 1.
Do you use singular verbs with the pronouns either, neither, and each. If both elements are singular, the verb will be singular too. Making verbs agree with neither, either, and each get it write online. To further confuse the issue, if either or neither is followed by a prepositional phrase and a plural noun, the traditional rule is that you still use a singular verb since either and neither are singular. Finite and nonfinite verbs table of irregular verbs verb phrases verbs verbs and verb phrases. With very few exceptions in english grammar then subject should always match the verb in terms of number. What is the best book or program for speed reading. In english, subjects and verbs must agree in number singular or plural and person first. Neither the coach nor the players are available for an interview. When singular subjects are linked with or, eitheror, nor, neithernor, use a singular verb.
Neither the green dress nor the pink dress is available for now in our shop. He correctly pointed out that the plural pronoun they does not agree with its antecedent, the singular noun committee committee is a collective noun, just like the nouns jury, flock, herd, class, choir, team, family, and other words that refer to a single unit consisting of more than one person or thing. A singular subject joined by ornor requires a singular verb. Neither the company nor any of the subsidiaries have received any notice. Neither the purple bottles nor the turnip was quite the right shade of mauvy puce. Alan m, sharpeyed as ever, noted the following in a feedback included in the last issue of wlut. The basic principle of subjectverb agreement is simple. Has anyone got a dictionary anybody is welcome to join. Posted in historichistorical, neithersingular or plural. Neither prince nor malloy was wearing a seatbelt, according to the accident report. Either the boys or the girls have hidden the sweets. Violence not because in his death the rich and with his engrave the wicked with and he made in his mouth was any deceit neither he had done.
Singular subjects joined with or or nor take singular verb agreement. Look for the eitheror and neithernor constructions. I created this handout for my adult esl students to help them remember the proper subjectverb agreement when using either or and neither nor if one subject is singular and one subject is plural. How is the use of eitheror and neithernor affected by whether or not the options are singular or plural. The ability to shift profits to lowtax countries by locating intellectual property in them is often assumed to be the preserve of hightech companies. Although under ordinary circumstances, sons would take a plural verb.
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