Neither of them "are" perfect vs. Neither of them "is" perfect

Question

I wonder which verb form is correct - singular or plural in this case.Neither of them are perfect vs. Neither of them is perfect.

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]I wonder which verb form is correct - singular or plural in this case. Neither of them are perfect vs. Neither of them is perfect.[/nq]
The pronoun "neither" can be either singular or plural in standard usage:

From MWCD11:
(quote)
Main Entry: 2neither
Function: pronoun
Date: 13th century
*:* not the one or the other of two or more
usage Some commentators insist that neither must be used with a singular verb. It generally is, but especially when a prepositional phrase intervenes between it and the verb, a plural verb is quite common .
(end quote)
From The American Heritage Book of English Usage at http://www.bartleby.com/64/pages/page21.html
(quote)
neither

singular or plural
The traditional rule also holds that neither is grammatically singular: Neither candidate is having an easy time with the press. However, it is often used with a plural verb, especially when followed by of and a plural: Neither of the candidates are really expressing their own views.

(end quote)
If you are learning English as a second language, your best bet is probably to ask your teacher what he thinks is correct, since if he adheres to "traditional grammar" which is, at best, only a subset of standard grammar he may mark the plural use of "neither" as wrong, despite the judgment of usage commentators such as those quoted above.

Raymond S. Wise
Minneapolis, Minnesota USA
E-mail: mplsray @ yahoo . com

Usenet · Answer

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Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]The pronoun "neither" can be either singular or plural in ... Wise Minneapolis, Minnesota USA E-mail: mplsray @ yahoo . com[/nq]
The verb should be singular. "Neither is..."
"None" can be singular or plural.
Nowadays, when "or" is used to connect two words as a subject, many people use the plural, which drives me nuts. "The father or the mother are home." Huh? This sentence needs a singular verb! The rule is, the verb agrees in number with the portion of the subject closest to it: "The brothers or the sister is home"; "The sister or the brothers are home."
Cece

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]case. usage: singular of those singular: it is a views. to the The verb should be singular. "Neither is..." ... the subject closest to it: "The brothers or the sister is home"; "The sister or the brothers are home." Cece[/nq]
MWCD11 doesn't address these issues concerning "either." The American Heritage Book of English Usage does, and for the most part seems to agree with you. On the subject of the verb agreeing in number with the portion of the subject closest to it, however, it says the following:

http://www.bartleby.com/64/pages/page16.html
(quote)
Some people argue that the verb should agree with whichever noun phrase is closest to it. The Usage Panel has much sympathy for this view. Fifty-five percent prefer the plural verb for the sentence Either the owner or the players is going/are going to have to give in. Another 12 percent find either verb acceptable, meaning that, overall, 67 percent accept the plural verb in such situations, and only 33 percent would require the singular.

(end quote)
A third of the usage panel would require the singular in such a sentence!

Raymond S. Wise
Minneapolis, Minnesota USA
E-mail: mplsray @ yahoo . com

Neither of them "are" perfect vs. Neither of them "is" perfect

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