0
Anonymous Posted 17 years ago
Grammar

Subject/verb agreement after "neither/nor"

Is it:
"Neither John nor I has read that book." OR
"Neither John nor I have read that book."?

Thanks.
  

Top answer

Good question. I like "has," but I hear both. )

— Avangi

  • Good question.
  • I like "has," but I hear both.
  • )
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

4 Answers
0
Good question. I like "has," but I hear both. (In other words, I don't know the answer.)
0
0
AnonymousIs it:
    "Neither John nor I has read that book." OR
    "Neither John nor I have read that book."?

Thanks.

I was taught to use 'have'. 
0
0
Supposedly, when a compound subject is joined by "or" or "nor", and each of the subjects takes a different verb form, the verb should agree with the subject closest to the verb. (I'm not quite sure how often people actually follow that rule, though.)

There is a good write-up about subject-verb agreement here:
0
0
Thanks, Yankee, now I remember hearing that rule!
0

Related Questions