Neither the plates nor the serving bowl goes on that shelf. Note how we use the plural word surfers at the end there to keep everything in agreement. In each of the following sentences, two verbs are written in parentheses. If youre writing for a particularly formal publication, though, you might want to stick to just two items when youre using either or or neither nor. Either and neither, without their partners or and nor, always take a singular verb either of the apples is. How to use nor correctly grammar girl quick and dirty tips. Two or more singular subjects connected by or, nor, either or, neither. For christmas one year, she even bought me the book i judge you when you use poor grammar. Neither a dog nor a cat offer, offers the same companionship as another. All subjects preceded by each and every take a singular verb. When the subject is composed of two or more singular or plural nouns or pronouns connected with and the verb should be plural. With either and neither, we use the singular form of the verb.
Disjunction in the subject formally takes a verb that agrees in the number with whichever element is closest to the verb. Nor doesnt necessarily have to appear in a sentence with the word neither. Subject verb agreement exercises with rules for advanced. Use a plural verb only if the sense is no two or no amount. Neither the serving bowl nor the plates go on that shelf this rule can lead to bumps in the road. For example, if i is one of two or more subjects, it could lead to this odd sentence. Subject verb agreement exercises with rules for advanced students. Grammar rules can seem quirky, but there are 20 simple rules of subject verb agreement that will help this topic make sense. For each of the following, choose the sentence in which the subject and verb agree. In english grammar, subject verb agreement is the correspondence of a verb with its subject in person first, second, or third and number singular or plural. Match the verb to the closest subject neither the boys nor the girl is. By the way, it is equally correct to say bad grammar. Titles of books, movies, novels, and other similar works are treated as singular and take a singular verb. The verb in an or, eitheror, or neithernor sentence agrees with the noun or pronoun closest to it examples.
I have read all kinds of conflicting information about the topic and im very confused. When two verb answers agree with the subject, then the verb tense must be looked at. Despite this, id go with the phrasing data are not generated nor transferred which would convey the meaning just as well. Neither the dog nor the cat chasechases those birds. Get the grammar girls take on correctly using nor in a sentence. Either, neither, and subjectverb agreement the editors blog. Im certain, though, that you sometimes commit a ghastly grammar goof when the subject is far from the verb. You cannot mix them, but often the word either is omitted. In a straight answer to your questions, 2 is grammatically fine, but not idiomatic. I have two daughters, their names are phoebe and hannah.
Apr 25, 2020 incorrect every boy and girl were ready. Learn english with lets talk free english lessons 463,749 views 12. Two singular nouns connected by or or nor take a singular verb neither charles nor benjamin was present there neither he nor his dad is good at driving when one of the nouns connected by or or nor is plural, the verb must be plural, and the plural subject must be placed next to the verb. Both, so do i, neither do i all our lessons and exercises. When used in this sense, it always takes singular verbs and pronouns. The book, including all the chapters in the first section, is boring. When using eitheror and neithernor, note the following rules. Neither nor if this is your first visit, be sure to check out the faq by clicking the link above. Subject verb agreement practice circle the correct form of the verb tense and indicate the rule that determines the correct answer.
View the subject verb examples and rules at the bottom of the page and then try the exercises below. The singular subject gurney pairs up with the singular verb is. The rolling gurney is about to crash into the unwary sign writer. These constructions are neither nonstandard or sic erroneous. However, if one of the things is plural, use a plural verb.
Singular verb with singular elements if the pairings eitheror often the either is omitted or neither nor form part of the subject of a verb and both elements are singular, then the verb must be singular too. If the subject closest to the verb is singular, use a singular verb. If the closest subject is plural, use a plural verb. Note when a sentence contains a verb phrase, it is the helping verb that agrees with the subject. The verb in an or, eitheror, or neither nor sentence agrees with the noun or pronoun closest to it. Amnesiac writers forget about the first part of their subject, so they use the wrong verb.
None of the consultants agree on the same approach. Either orneither nor a free english exercise to learn english. This singer, along with a few others, plays the harmonica on stage. This singer, along with a few others, play the harmonica on stage. Learn english with lets talk free english lessons 460,676 views 12. Doctor works cat runs windows stick he works it runs they stick watch out especially for prepositional. Try substituting they plural pronoun, then use a plural verb without s. Two singular subjects connected by or, eitheror, or neither nor require a singular verb. Formal trousers is, are required for this dinner party.
The book s author and illustrator is are patricia polacco. Here into the main ring of the circus comecomes the trained elephants. This is just as true with neithernor as it is with eitheror neither the russians nor the americans were ready to talk is perfectly correct, but so is neither a british flag nor an american one flies above the pole. Here we use the plural verb because the subject consists of two singular nouns connected with and. The girls or their father collects the newspapers every morning. The word either can be a pronoun or an adjective more specifically, a determiner, which is a kind of adjective. When either word is used as a pronoun and as the subject of a sentence or clauseand its the only subjectit takes a singular verb. Grammarians differ on this point, but theres a long history of both either or and neither nor being used for three or more items. For example, if i is one of two or more subjects, it could lead to this.
Try substituting he, she, or it singular pronouns, then use a singular verb with s. Neither the serving bowl nor the plates go on that shelf. But the comment that receives the heartiest agreement concerns neither the war, nor the earthquake, nor the crime rate. Grammar rules can seem quirky, but there are 20 simple rules of subjectverb agreement. In this special case, the subject closest to the verb decides whether the verb is singular. Neither nor used in a sentence in the negative sense when you want to say that two or more things are not true. When doing a question, first figure out what is the subject of the sentence. When one of the words is used to modify the single subject of a sentence, it takes. But they can also be conjunctions correlative, adjectives, determiners, and even adverbs. When a compound subject contains both a singular and a plural noun or pronoun joined by or or nor, the verb should agree with the part of the subject that is nearer the verb. The type neither nor nor clearly falls within the bounds of legitimacy. Neither my mother nor my father went to university. When notional agreement obtains, it takes either a singular or plural verb.
Either my father or my brothers isare going to sell the car. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Subject and verb agreement quiz 1 the blue book of. Be especially careful of compound subjects, which contain an and. Look for the eitheror and neither nor constructions. When using eitheror and neither nor, be sure to maintain subject verb agreement. Neither matt nor his brothers waswere at the party. When using eitheror and neither nor, note the following rules. So neither the men nor the woman is a good surfer is correct, as is neither the woman nor the men are good surfers. Last week, my mother emailed to ask if she was using the word nor correctly, which brings me to todays post. When or or nor joins two things, use a singular verb if both things are singular. Doesnt is a contraction of does not and should be used only with a singular subject.
Subjectverb agreement grammar rules blue book of grammar. Lastly, decide which verb form will match with the subject. Subjectverb agreement grammar girl quick and dirty tips. Learn how to make sure your subject and verb agree. Either kiana or casey is helping today with stage decorations. Hello, i have some doubts related to verb agreement when we use the neithernor construction. The quick answer the pairing neithernor plays a negative role, so take care to avoid an unintended double negative. More natural than neither his parents nor peter was aware of this.
Simply take the noun closest to the verb and ensure they agree. Neither is paired with nor and either is paired with or. Neither prince nor malloy were wearing seatbelts, according to the accident report. Despite this, id go with the phrasing data are not generated nor transferred which would convey the meaning just as well, while sounding idiomatic. Neither as a pronoun determiner when it is used as a pronoun, neither is often followed by of plus a noun phrase or pronoun. Both john and fred dont like doing the dishes i want neither the red shirt nor the blue shirt. The answer lies in grammar rules on concord or subjectverb agreement. Book recommendations common english mistakes grammar rules idioms. Either and neither are singular either and neither are singular concepts. As we mentioned in our response to dimitri dated september 14, 2011, the ap stylebooks entry says, none it usually means no single one. The word neither can also be a determiner or a pronoun.
Two singular nouns connected by or or nor take a singular verb. For example, you might say, i like neither hot dogs nor mustard. Her friend and mentor were, was one of her college professors. Concord subject verb agreement authorstream presentation. If both elements are singular, then the verb is singular too. The pairing neither nor plays a negative role, so take care to avoid an unintended double negative. Two singular subjects connected by or, eitheror, or neithernor require a singular verb. When a singular subject and a plural subject are joined by or, eitheror, neithernor the verb agrees with the second subject or subject nearer to the verb. Somewhere on internet i read that in that type of sentences the plural subject should be placed next to the verb i dont know if the source is reliable or not. Grammar rules can seem quirky, but there are 20 simple rules of subjectverb agreement that will help this topic make sense. Subject and verb agreement quiz 1 the blue book of grammar. Neithernor when two subjects are joined by neithernor or eitheror, choosing the right. Neither definition in the cambridge english dictionary.
The general rule for this situation is the same as the rule in the subject verb agreement situation. The verb move is plural to agree with the plural subject families. The construction no nor is certainly understandable but not common. Some additional rules for either or and neither nor it can be tricky to figure out verb agreement when you. Tips for english language subjectverb agreement dummies. We show you the rules, the exceptions, and example sentences to clarify the concept. Each of the students isare responsible for doing his or her work. For example, incorrect neither he nor i were there.
The pronoun neither, then, is not invariably singular, though it is more often so. Mar 19, 2015 your subjectverb agreement is most likely fine when the subject is close to the verb, as it is here. Neither the teacher nor his students waswere present. My mother seems to appreciate having a grammar lover in the family.
As a determiner, neither is used in the same way neither book is suitable. When using eitheror and neithernor, be sure to maintain subjectverb agreement. Either or neither english grammar guide grammatica inglese. When one of the nouns connected by or or nor is plural, the verb must be plural, and the plural subject must be placed next to the verb. He neither attends the class regularly nor learns his lessons. You can do this by making sure that the verb and the noun that is closest to the verb agree with each other. Choose the correct present tense verb that fills in the blank. Im especially interested in the case when the first person singular subject pronoun i is the second item. On the other hand, 1, neither nor is a longstanding clause that fits perfectly into your sentence. Grammar girl wasnt very helpful with these subjectcomplement agreement sentences. Your subjectverb agreement is most likely fine when the subject is close to the verb, as it is here.
Two singular nouns connected by or or nor take a singular verb neither charles nor benjamin was present there neither he nor his dad is good at driving when one of the nouns connected by or or nor is plural, the verb must be plural, and the plural subject must be placed next to the verb neither peter nor his parents were aware of this. Hello, i have some doubts related to verb agreement when we use the neither nor construction. Either, neither, and subjectverb agreement editor\s blog. From the american copy editors society a tricky agreement problem. Home page for english grammar today on cambridge dictionary. If a sentence has two subjects connected by ornor, eitheror, or neithernor, the verb must agree with. If a verb comes after this phrase, that verb is in the singular form sometimes you will hear it used in the plural form though it is not grammatically correct neither john nor fred likes doing the dishes. Under this condition, the verb is singular or plural based on the subject closest to the verb. Or and nor two singular nouns connected by or or nor take a singular verb. Neither the dogs nor the cats chasechases those birds. She has neither eaten anything nor slept in two days. Is either and neither singular or plural pronounantecedent.
Neither my sisters nor my mother isare going to sell the house. Subjectverb agreement either or neither nor youtube. When formal agreement obtains, it takes a singular verb. Two singular nouns or pronouns separated by either or or neither nor take a singular verb. Jan 01, 2010 so neither the men nor the woman is a good surfer is correct, as is neither the woman nor the men are good surfers. In fact, this is another point that is not clear to me the need lack of need to use i in the second. Notice that an s ending is often a sign of the singular in the verb. This page has exercise 6, subject verb agreement exercises for advanced students. In fact, this is another point that is not clear to me the need lack of need to.
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