Match the verb to the closest subject neither the boys nor the girl is. Formal trousers is, are required for this dinner party. Neither nor used when referring to the fact that two or more. For example, lncorrect neither the assistant masters nor the headmaster was present. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of pro. The is used with the names of renowned building, gulf, river, ocean, sea etc. Mignon fogarty is the founder of the quick and dirty tips network and creator of grammar girl, which has been named one of writers digests 101 best websites for writers multiple times.
When using eitheror and neither nor, note the following rules. Buy grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing quick. Common subordinating conjunctions are because, since, as, although, though, while, and whereas. From grammar and spelling to style and tone, grammarly helps you eliminate errors and find the perfect words to express yourself. Dec 10, 2016 example she is the most beautiful girl in our college. For christmas one year, she even bought me the book i judge you when you use poor grammar. Either and neither are singular either and neither are singular concepts. The quick answer the pairing neithernor plays a negative role, so take care to avoid an unintended double negative. In a straight answer to your questions, 2 is grammatically fine, but not idiomatic. From the american copy editors society a tricky agreement problem. Is either and neither singular or plural pronounantecedent. My mother seems to appreciate having a grammar lover in the family.
Subordinating conjunctions join independent and dependent clauses. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing and six other books on writing. Make sure the structure joined with the first word mirrors the structure joined with the second word. Example the tajmahal, the persian gulf, the char minar, the pacific, the ganges, the red sea, the yamuna, the thames. Nor, and transitional devices instructions for the teacher this exercise is a supplement to the exercises of in charge 2, unit 2, pages 17 through 20. So, too, neither and either perfect english grammar. Use of either and neither, and their associated words or and nor, is complicated by disagreements about proper usage. All the sentences seem like correct grammar, but the first 3 sentences do not make logical sense. The unique book covers grammar rules and guidelines to choose correct. Either or used in a sentence in the affirmative sense when referring to a choice between two possibilities.
Learn these 12 english grammar rules for writing seemlessly. Many aspirants find difficulty in english grammar section while preparing for competitive exams like ssc cgl, ssc chsl, rrb, ibps, sbi and other competitive exams. How to use nor correctly grammar girl quick and dirty tips. Ask them to list any sleep disorders they are aware of, such as snoring, narcolepsy the disorder. The verb in an or, eitheror, or neithernor sentence agrees with the noun or pronoun closest to it examples. Neither is paired with nor as either is with or, and in those uses as conjunctions they pose usage problems of agreement. Covering the grammar rules and word choice guidelines that can confound. How to use either, neither, nor and or kaplan blog. Mignon believes that learning is fun, and the vast rules of grammar are wonderful fodder for. For example, you might say, i like neither hot dogs nor mustard. In spoken language, the plural form of the verb is more usual. Despite this, id go with the phrasing data are not generated nor transferred which would convey the meaning just as well, while. Basic english grammar rules your must know hbr ascend.
Subjectverb agreement grammar rules the blue book of. Everyone can be a great writer grammarly allows me to get those communications out and feel confident that im putting my best foot forward. Home page for english grammar today on cambridge dictionary. If both elements are singular, then the verb is singular too. It is usually used with no article, though some is sometimes used before it. Grammar girl wasnt very helpful with these subjectcomplement agreement sentences.
Read more about using a singular or plural verb with eitheror and neithernor. The type neither nor nor clearly falls within the bounds of legitimacy. Henry holt books are available for special promotions and premiums. Neither my mother nor my father went to university. Last week, my mother emailed to ask if she was using the word nor correctly, which brings me to todays post. When used as an adjective either means one or the other of two people or things, and neither means not one or the other of two people or things. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing. The blue book of grammar and punctuation an easytouse guide with clear rules, realworld examples. Heres a discussion of the words and the opinions about their appropriate use. The girls is plural, so the verb are is plural too. Thus expanded out, the second half of the sentence reads. Neither nor mistakes this rule of parallel construction applies to all the correlative conjunctions.
English grammar tips for subjectverb agreement dummies. For those of you with some grammar background, you and me in that sentence are both objects of the preposition between. Each of the students is responsible for doing his or her work. Her archenemy is the evil grammar maven, who inspires terror in the untrained and is neither friendly nor helpful. Either and neither, singular or plural the editors blog. I have been living in the united states for a while.
Grammar rules can seem quirky, but there are 20 simple rules of subjectverb agreement that will help this topic make sense. Neither the staff members nor the supervisor was able to calm the distressed client. To view the following lessons you need to have adobe acrobat reader installed on your computer. When the subjects joined by ornor are of different numbers, the verb must be plural, and the plural subject must be placed next to the verb. Ten grammar rules every writer should know writing forward. I watch movies american movies and read news articles. Neither is used in the negative sense, when youre presenting things that arent true or valid. Neither the forwards nor the scrumhalf, all of whom were within 10 metres of the tackle, nor the crowd appealed for a foul. So, too, neither and either so do i and neither do i download this explanation in pdf here. When a compound subject contains both a singular and a plural noun or pronoun joined by or or nor, the verb should agree with the part of the subject that is nearer the verb. In english grammar, words that refer to people, places or. Neither the serving bowl nor the plates go on that shelf. Note how we use the plural word surfers at the end there to keep everything in agreement. Either sue or the girls are going to prepare dinner tonight.
He will neither come here nor send a representative. Nor doesnt necessarily have to appear in a sentence with the word neither. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. When one of the words is used to modify the single subject of a sentence, it takes. The restaurant doesnt have fish or vegetarian meals on its menu. Download english grammar lessons, for free, in the pdf format. Fill in the blanks with so, nor, neither, but, too, or either. What is the difference between neither and either, and how. Neither the serving bowl nor the plates go on that shelf this rule can lead to bumps in the road. Neither the supervisor nor the staff members were able to calm the distressed client. Either my father or my brothers are going to sell the car.
I noticed that almost everyone uses that instead of who when referring to people, even in articles in reputable newspapers like new york times and washington post. The grammar girl podcast has also won best education podcast multiple. A conjunction and a coordinating conjunction differ in that a conjunction joins grammatically alike subclausal elements, whereas a coordinating conjunction joins grammatically alike clausal elements. The verb in an or, eitheror, or neither nor sentence agrees with the noun or pronoun closest to it examples. It would be incorrect to use an or anywhere in that sentenceor to leave out either case of nor. If you already have adobe acrobat reader, simply click on the red icon next to the topic for the grammar lesson you wish to view. Get your copy of the blue book of grammar and punctuation. For example, if i is one of two or more subjects, it could lead to this odd sentence. Correlative conjunctions are used in pairs to link equivalent elements e. The proscription against using or, rather than nor, with neither i was neither here or there instead of i was neither here nor there is likewise not absolute, but nor is most common, and in this case i support the restriction. Neither my sisters nor my mother is going to sell the house. The most common correlative conjunctions are eitheror, neither nor, not onlybut also, asso, and notbut.
If a verb is already in the negative then either or is used and not neither nor. Grammar rules the blue book of grammar and punctuation. He is the author of many books on writing, including the hbr guide to better business writing and the. Apr 01, 2006 again, me is not the subject nor does it follow one of those stateofbeing verbs. Not neither peter nor john have brought their books. Neithernor when two subjects are joined by neithernor or eitheror, choosing the right.
Either and neither, without their partners or and nor, always take a singular verb either of the apples is. It includes making smart word choices, constructing sentences that flow smoothly, and writing in a way that is neither awkward nor confusing. Beware double negatives with neithernor grammar monster. Doesnt is a contraction of does not and should be used only with a singular subject. All subjects preceded by each and every take a singular verb each cd is mine. Janes bag wasnt where she had left it, so nor neither but too either was it anywhere else in the house.
Neither selfknowledge, nor knowledge of others, nor knowledge of the external world has conceptual or epistemological priority. Grammar lessons either or and neither nor my english pages. On the other hand, 1, neither nor is a longstanding clause that fits perfectly into your sentence. The word either can be a pronoun or an adjective more specifically, a determiner, which is a kind of adjective. When the correlative conjunctions eitheror or neithernor frame alternatives in the singular, the verb is. When two singular nouns are joined by or, eitheror or neithernor, the pronoun should be singular in number. Apr 25, 2020 incorrect neither he nor i were there. You may well have come across sentences like these. He neither attends the class regularly nor learns his lessons. Oct 29, 2012 i was taught the grammar rule as you were saying here. Neither prince nor malloy were wearing seatbelts, according to the accident report.
When either word is used as a pronoun and as the subject of a sentence or clauseand its the only subjectit takes a singular verb. To book a lecture event with mignon fogarty for your company or. Now, common sense tells us that if we are a couple, wife and husband, the feeling of togetherness is expressed by our home, not your home. The general rule for this situation is the same as the rule in the subject verb agreement situation. She has neither eaten anything nor slept in two days. Maven, who inspires terror in the untrained and is neither friendly nor helpful. Neither my dad nor my mom wears fashionable clothes. We show you the rules, the exceptions, and example sentences to clarify the concept. Neither is used as a determiner before a single noun. Subject verb agreement nova southeastern university. If two subjects are joined by or or nor, the verb should agree with the subject that is near to it. Neither the plates nor the serving bowl goes on that shelf.
I use so do i to say that a positive sentence is also true for me, and i use neither do i to say that a negative sentence is also true for me. A subordinating conjunction can signal a causeandeffect relationship, a contrast, or some other kind of relationship between the clauses. It is quite harsh to mark this as wrong, but grouping three things is an unpopular practice. By the way, it is equally correct to say bad grammar.
The word neither can also be a determiner or a pronoun. But the comment that receives the heartiest agreement concerns neither the war, nor the earthquake, nor the crime rate. Circle the correct form of the verb tense and indicate the rule that determines the correct answer. All the grammar, punctuation, and usage rules and examples on the website plus dozens of quizzes with answers. Usually they will take a singular verb if both parts of the structure are singular, as in neither he nor his friend is ready, and if the first element is plural but the second element remains singular, the structure may still take a singular verb, as in neither my friends. Jan 01, 2010 so neither the men nor the woman is a good surfer is correct, as is neither the woman nor the men are good surfers. Exercise on both, either, neither, nor and so default. While either has a positive connotation, neither holds a negative significance. Neithernor is used when the choice is negative or the person wants to say that more than one thing is not true.
How to use bothb both b is used for two people or two things used in affirmative sentences has a positive meaning takes a plural verb notice how both is used 1. The construction no nor is certainly understandable but not common. We can either eat now or after the show its up to you 2. You cannot mix them, but often the word either is omitted. The grammar girl podcast has also won best education podcast multiple times in the podcast awards, and mignon is an inductee in the podcasting hall of fame. Check your spelling past simple or present perfect although in spite of despite again back for and its use.
Neither nor used in a sentence in the negative sense when you want to say that two or more things are not true. Eitheror neithernor either or used when referring to a choice between two possibilities. So far, so straightforward but you might have some questions about using either or and neither nor correctly. Is there a grammar rule that even grammar girl finds it hard to remember. So neither the men nor the woman is a good surfer is correct, as is neither the woman nor the men are good surfers. Both john and fred dont like doing the dishes i want neither the red shirt nor the blue shirt. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing quick. The verb in an or, eitheror, or neither nor sentence agrees with the noun or pronoun closest to it. English grammar for dummies cheat sheet australianew. But they can also be conjunctions correlative, adjectives, determiners, and even adverbs. Get the grammar girls take on correctly using nor in a sentence. Lesson by tristan, english teacher at ec malta english school. He either keeps the keys himself or leaves them with his wife.
All subjects preceded by each and every take a singular verb. Feel free to download, reuse, or share the following english grammar lessons with your friends, colleagues, or students. If the noun closest to the pronoun is singular, use the singular pronoun. Neither is paired with nor and either is paired with or. Her friend and mentor were, was one of her college professors. Cats roam outside and often come home very late at night.
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