6 Subject-Verb Agreement (either / neither)
KEY CONCEPTS
Some sentences use either-or or neither-nor to frame a compound subject. In those instances, you determine the correct verb choice by focusing on the second part of the subject.
EXAMPLE – Either the council members or the mayor attends the Fourth of July celebration each year.
EXAMPLE – Either the mayor or the council members attend the Fourth of July celebration each year.
Sentence constructions with either-or and neither-nor require writers to distinguish between verbs that agree with singular subjects and verbs that agree with plural subjects.
With a singular subject, use am, is, was and has.
EXAMPLE – Either the teachers or the principal has donated money to the band each year.
With a plural subject, use are, were and have.
EXAMPLE – Either the principal or the teachers have donated money to the band each year.
An exception: When the singular pronoun I is the subject, use the verb have instead of has.
EXAMPLE – Either my sisters or I have watered the lawn each day.
If a sentence starts with Neither followed by the preposition of, the word Neither is the subject and is considered singular for Not one.
Neither of the professors has donated money to the college.
MEANING – Not one (of the professors) has donated money to the college.
Compared to other content in our OER text, this chapter may not seem as straightforward. Some of the suggested sentences may sound wrong to your ears, and you will even find conflicting advice from other sources. That’s OK, as long as this chapter helps you continue to analyze subject-verb agreement and sentence construction. With that opening disclaimer out of the way …
Our fourth lesson about subject-verb agreement clarifies verb usage for sentences that use Either or Neither to frame the subject.
In the last lesson, we looked at compound subjects, such as the one in this sentence:
A reporter and a photographer are on the scene.
(Compound subject is plural = reporter + photographer)
In this lesson, we’ll look closely at constructions that use or instead of and to make a compound subject, such as in this sentence:
Either the reporter or the photographer is in the courtroom at all times.
(The compound subject is singular, indicating one but not both. So we use the verb is instead of are. One is in the courtroom at all times.)
We’ll also delve into sentences that start with Either or Neither followed by a prepositional phrase.
Either of the reporters is in the courtroom at all times.
(Similar to the previous example, the word Either in this sentence functions like a singular subject, indicating one but not both, so we use the verb is instead of are. One is in the courtroom at all times.)
We use the state-of-being verb is with a singular subject and are with a plural subject.
Either one is a good choice.
Both are good choices.
Similarly, we use the verb has with a singular subject and have with a plural subject. An exception, however, is that the singular pronoun I agrees with have.
Either one has an extended warranty. (singular)
Both have extended warranties. (plural)
I have an extended warranty. (singular, but with the pronoun I as the subject)
Now is our first interactive question. The explanation on this flip card may help you understand a key concept for this chapter.
Now let’s check your understanding by changing that last question.
In the first two flip cards above, note how the second half of the subject in the either-or construction determines the verb choice – the singular noun coach in the first flip card or the plural noun players in the second flip card (coach is vs. players are).
When you see a neither-nor construction in a sentence, you should use the same approach that we saw in the first two either-or questions. Here’s a chance to practice.
VERB REVIEW
At this point, it may be helpful to review several concepts about verb choice and see some additional examples.
For most action verbs to agree with a singular subject, you add an -s to the verb.
The subject agrees with the verb.
The subject (singular noun) agrees (add s to the verb) with the verb.
For most action verbs to agree with a plural subject, you do NOT add an -s to the verb.
The subjects agree with the verbs.
The subjects (plural) agree (no s) with the verbs.
Here are some reminders about some common helping and being verbs:
With a singular subject, use am, is, was and has.
With a plural subject, use are, were and have.
Remember to use have with the first-person pronoun I (as in I have finished reading this sentence).
We’ll close this chapter by reviewing guidelines for sentences that start with Neither followed by the preposition of. Read the first two sentences below, then study the third sentence, which starts with Neither.
- Two of the commissioners are not speaking today.
(Plural: two commissioners) - One of the commissioners is not speaking today.
(Singular: one commissioner) - Neither of the commissioners is speaking today.
(Singular: less than one commissioner)
In the third sentence, the word neither could be replaced by not one, and the subject is singular.
Not one of the commissioners is speaking today. (Singular)
From a math perspective, neither or not one cannot be plural. Here’s one final practice question.
MORE PRACTICE FOR PROFICIENCY
Below are additional usage questions based on this chapter. These questions may help you study for course assignments or a proficiency exam.
(NOTE – The automated grading on the exercise above may seem different than a standard right/wrong format. It will still display your correct and incorrect responses, though. Don’t worry about your calculated score. Just focus on learning.)
WRITING EXERCISE
1. Write a simple sentence with an Either-or construction for a compound subject. The first half of the subject should be singular, and the second half should be plural. Use play or plays as the accompanying verb in your sentence.
2. Write a simple sentence with a Neither-nor construction for a compound subject. The first half of the subject should be plural, and the second half should be singular. Use is talking or are talking for the accompanying verb phrase in your sentence.
3. In two tightly constructed sentences, explain your key takeaway from this chapter. Do not use any first-person pronouns (such as I, me, my or mine) in your writing.
