Subject-verb agreement is an essential aspect of writing, particularly in academic, professional, and SEO-oriented content. Agreement between the subject and the verb is essential for clear and effective communication. Unfortunately, some writers struggle with the usage of neither and the agreement of the verb that follows it. In this article, we will delve into the usage of neither and explore its impact on subject-verb agreement.
The word neither is often used in sentences with negative expressions, such as “neither X nor Y” or “neither A nor B.” Neither functions as a conjunction, which means it connects two noun phrases or two verbs in a sentence. The rule of thumb for subject-verb agreement with neither requires that the verb should agree in number with the nearest subject.
For example, consider the following sentence:
Neither the teacher nor the students were satisfied with the results.
In this sentence, there are two subjects, “the teacher” and “the students,” both of which are nouns. The verb “were” is plural to agree with the plural subject “the students.” The mistake here would be to use the singular verb “was,” which would not agree with the plural subject “the students,” resulting in an agreement error.
Similarly, consider this sentence:
Neither the cake nor the pies was delicious.
In this sentence, there are two subjects, “the cake” and “the pies,” also both nouns. The verb “was” is singular to agree with the singular noun “the cake.” The mistake here would be to use the plural verb “were,” which would not agree with the singular subject “the cake,” resulting in an agreement error.
The same principle applies when the subjects are verbs. Consider this example:
Neither dancing nor singing is my passion.
In this sentence, “dancing” and “singing” are both verbs, and the verb “is” is singular because it agrees with the nearest subject, “singing.” The sentence is grammatically correct because the verb agrees with the singular subject “singing.”
In conclusion, for writers to achieve effective communication, they must master the art of subject-verb agreement. The usage of neither is vital in this aspect, and it is essential to ensure that the verb agrees with the nearest subject. The examples given in this article demonstrate how to use neither correctly and ensure agreement between the subject and verb. As a copy editor, you should always ensure that you check for subject-verb agreement in SEO content to ensure that the content is grammatically correct and clear to readers.