0
Guest Posted 22 years ago
Grammar
Confusing grammar (neither/nor, either/or, etc - person of verb)
I'm not very good in grammar but this really confuses me. Here are two explanations of using either/or and neither/nor taken form different sources.
1.When "or," "nor," "either. . .or," "neither. . .nor," "not...but," "not only...but also," are following the compound subject, make the verb agree in number and in person with the nearer subject.
Neither the windows nor the door needs to painted.
Not the butler but the maids clean the house.
2.If the pairings either/or or neither/nor form part of the subject of a verb and at least one of the elements is plural, then the verb must be plural too.
Either the budgies or the cat have to go.
Now which one is correct?
1.When "or," "nor," "either. . .or," "neither. . .nor," "not...but," "not only...but also," are following the compound subject, make the verb agree in number and in person with the nearer subject.
Neither the windows nor the door needs to painted.
Not the butler but the maids clean the house.
2.If the pairings either/or or neither/nor form part of the subject of a verb and at least one of the elements is plural, then the verb must be plural too.
Either the budgies or the cat have to go.
Now which one is correct?
Top answer
No wonder you are confused. It is obviously a point of disagreement. e.
- No wonder you are confused.
- It is obviously a point of disagreement.
- e.
- the nearest subject]; the number of the second conjoin determines the number of the verb.
- .
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
10 Answers
0
No wonder you are confused. It is obviously a point of disagreement. Greenbaum & Quirk state that 'when conjoins differ in number, recourse is generally made to the principle of proximity [i.e. the nearest subject]; the number of the second conjoin determines the number of the verb. . . . In less formal usage, phrases coordinated with neither ... nor are treated more like and
00
0
0
I normally cheat and vary the sentence so both subjects are singular (or plural). Or just change it altogether: "None of the wood needs to be painted."
00
I have difficulty explaining to my students about the inversion of neither, either
00
Proximity rule
- Neither the children nor the form teacher likes the new teaching assistant
-Neither the form teacher nor the children like .....
-Either you or he is careless
-Either I or they are...
but i find this one confusing
-Neither May nor I are going to the party
-Neither May nor I am ....
WHICH ONE IS CORRECT?
- Neither the children nor the form teacher likes the new teaching assistant
-Neither the form teacher nor the children like .....
-Either you or he is careless
-Either I or they are...
but i find this one confusing
-Neither May nor I are going to the party
-Neither May nor I am ....
WHICH ONE IS CORRECT?
00
0
i want example contain nither ,,nor and ather one with nither nor
00
0
There are just some few cases where you have to use I are instead of I am. One of these few cases is when you are using NOR ..
0
Related Questions