Either the cat or the dogs is making noise. (2023)

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Question: Either the cat or the dogs is making noise. (2023)

Options:

Correct Answer: Incorrect

Exam Year: 2023

Solution:

The correct form is \'Either the cat or the dogs are making noise.\' The verb agrees with the nearest subject \'dogs\', which is plural.

Either the cat or the dogs is making noise. (2023)

Either the cat or the dogs is making noise. (2023)

Step 1: Identify the subjects in the sentence. The subjects are 'the cat' and 'the dogs'.
Step 2: Determine if the subjects are singular or plural. 'The cat' is singular, and 'the dogs' is plural.
Step 3: Understand the rule for using 'either...or'. The verb should agree with the nearest subject.
Step 4: In the phrase 'Either the cat or the dogs', the nearest subject is 'the dogs', which is plural.
Step 5: Therefore, the correct verb form is 'are' to match the plural subject 'the dogs'.
Step 6: Rewrite the sentence correctly as 'Either the cat or the dogs are making noise.'

Subject-Verb Agreement – The verb must agree in number with the subject it refers to, especially in compound subjects.