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Shupkay Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

Plural or Singular?

I was taught that only certain indefinite pronouns (some, any, none, all, most) that are modified by a prepositional phrase may be either singular or plural.

Some of the honey syrup fell out of its bag.
All of the world's wishes have lost their power.


Why should other indefinite pronouns such as neither, either, and none be used any differently? Neither of the computers works sounds awkward to me.
  

Top answer

shupkay Why should other indefinite pronouns such as neither, either, and none be used any differently? Neither of the computers works sounds awkward to me. 'Neither' and 'either' generally mean 'neither one' and 'either one' respectively,,and are therefore singular, although many people do use a plural verb form after them, as they do with 'none' (= 'not one').

— Fivejedjon

  • shupkay Why should other indefinite pronouns such as neither, either, and none be used any differently?
  • Neither of the computers works sounds awkward to me.
  • 'Neither' and 'either' generally mean 'neither one' and 'either one' respectively,,and are therefore singular, although many people do use a plural verb form after them, as they do with 'none' (= 'not one').
  • In the following sentence, the plural verb is correct, as 'neither' refers to people (plural): Neither the Browns nor the Smiths were at the party.
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26 Answers
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shupkayWhy should other indefinite pronouns such as neither, either, and none be used any differently? Neither of the computers works sounds awkward to me.
'Neither' and 'either' generally mean 'neither one' and 'either one' respectively,,and are therefore singular, although many people do use a plural verb form after them, as they do with 'none' (= 'not one')
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fivejedjon In the following sentence, the plural verb is correct, as 'neither' refers to people (plural):Neither the Browns nor the Smiths were at the party.
If I am not mistaken, the plural verb 'were' is used because of 'the Smiths", which is plural.
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Yoong LiatIf I am not mistaken, the plural verb 'were' is used because of 'the Smiths", which is plural.
Correct. Neither X nor Y takes a verb that agrees with Y, the element closest to the verb.

CJ
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Thanks, CJ, for the confirmation.
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shupkayI was taught that only certain indefinite pronouns (some, any, none, all, most) that are modified by a prepositional phrase may be either singular or plural.Some of the honey syrup fell out of its bag.All of the world's wishes have lost their power. Why should other indefinite pronouns such as neither, either, and none be used any differently? Neither of the compute
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BillJIn the case of "neither" and "either", singular agreement is normal (plural agreement being informal)
In my example, "Neither the Browns nor the Smiths were at the party", there is nothing informal about the plural form of the verb. It's what most people would consider to be correct. in my opinion.
BillJIncidentally, "neither", "ei
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BillJIncidentally, "neither", "either" and "none" are determinatives, not pronouns.
I disagree: neither and either can be used as determiners or pronouns.

Note the differences:

Each contestant has a chance. (Each is a determiner describing contestant.)
Each has a chance.
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fivejedjonBillJIn the case of "neither" and "either", singular agreement is normal (plural agreement being informal)In my example, "Neither the Browns nor the Smiths were at the party", there is nothing informal about the plural form of the verb. It's what most people would consider to be correct. in my opinion.
That's a totally different construction.
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shupkayBillJIncidentally, "neither", "either" and "none" are determinatives, not pronouns.I disagree: neither and either can be used as determiners or pronouns.Note the differences:Each contestant has a chance. (Each is a determiner describing contestant.)Each has a chance. (Each is an indefinite pronoun replacing a noun.)
"Each has a chance" means "each of th
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An anomaly that has come to my attention recently is the behavior of "none" when it is qualified. "None of the dogs was barking" might sound iffy, but "Almost none of the dogs was barking" just sounds wrong. That seems to call into question the singular nature of "none". After all, "zero" is plural.
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