Neither want breakfast. Neither of the brothers want breakfast. Do neither have a license? So neither have a license. Do either of you want to go with me? Are either of your daughters a doctor? Are either daughter a doctor? Are either daughter s doctors? Have neither of them been a good fit? Were neither a good choice? And some that are incorrect sound correct.
But they are correct or incorrect as marked. At least grammatically correct or incorrect. Those that truly sound wrong are the examples with the preposition of of your daughters, of yours following either or neither. But either and neither are still singular, even when followed by a prepositional phrase containing a plural object.
Most of the time we want to be grammatically correct. In fiction we want our characters to speak and think as they actually would. Would your characters always speak correctly? But many 3-D people speak sentences that would be considered incorrect in terms of proper grammar, so fictional characters can definitely do the same. The second condition kicks in when there are alternative subjects that share a single verb.
Under this condition, the verb is singular or plural based on the subject closest to the verb. If the subject closest to the verb is singular, use a singular verb.
If the closest subject is plural, use a plural verb. If both subjects are singular or both plural, the choice for the verb is easy. Either his mother or my sisters are singing in the pub tonight. Either my sisters or his mother is singing in the pub tonight. Neither his mother nor my sisters are singing in the pub tonight. Neither my sisters nor his mother is singing in the pub tonight. Either Larry or Brad holds the record.
Either Larry or one of his brothers holds the record. Either Larry or the Wilson boys hold the record. Neither the accountant nor his clients know the combination. Neither the clients nor the accountant knows the combination. Neither the horses nor the jockeys have ever raced on that particular track. Neither the jockeys nor the horses have ever raced on that particular track. In this second condition, readers might be bothered by a plural subject being followed by a singular verb. You can head off potential problems by putting the plural subject second and using a plural verb.
But you could change the word order. Either the three elephants or the lone tiger is going to be cut from the second act. Either the lone tiger or the three elephants are going to be cut from the second act.
So pair either and neither with singular verbs under the first condition and match the subject closest to the verb for the second condition. In fiction, use your judgment about characters using improper grammar with either or neither. Neither Rachel nor her sisters were telling the truth. Neither the musicians nor the conductor is ready for the performance.
Either the car or the bikes are getting sold. As a final thought, if you assign a verb to each choice, of course, it should agree with whichever noun you assign it to: Either Rachel was telling the truth or her sisters were.
Nick Veeder on January 6, at Phil Williams on January 6, at Mohammed Ramadhan on January 31, at Thanks a lot. It was a dilemma to me. Phil Williams on February 1, at Phil Reply. Mohammed Ramadhan on February 2, at Margaret on June 13, at Phil Williams on June 16, at Jaime on May 28, at The explanation is clear as water and very important concise Thanks Phil. Phil Williams on May 28, at Phil Williams on August 27, at Shahmeer Ahmed on August 28, at Phil Williams on September 8, at Neither of the boys is trying.
When "or" or "nor" joins two things, use a singular verb if both things are singular. However, if one of the things is plural, use a plural verb.
For example: Shortbread or cake is on offer. Chocolates or cake are on offer. Be mindful though that many writers follow the Proximity Rule. This states that the thing nearest the verb governs it. For example: Chocolates or cake is on offer. Using the Proximity Rule, the verb becomes singular because "cake," which is the nearest thing, is singular.
Got it? Take a quick test. The words that follow "either," "or," "neither," and "nor" are known as the elements. Neither Mark nor Dawn is at the function.
Here, the elements are in bold.
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