Neither the manager nor the employees was present at the meeting. (2023)
Practice Questions
1 question
Q1
Neither the manager nor the employees was present at the meeting. (2023)
Correct
Incorrect
Depends on context
None of the above
The correct form is 'Neither the manager nor the employees were present at the meeting.' When 'neither/nor' is used, the verb agrees with the nearest subject.
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
1 item
Q
Q: Neither the manager nor the employees was present at the meeting. (2023)
Solution: The correct form is 'Neither the manager nor the employees were present at the meeting.' When 'neither/nor' is used, the verb agrees with the nearest subject.
Steps: 6
Step 1: Identify the subjects in the sentence. Here, the subjects are 'the manager' and 'the employees'.
Step 2: Note that 'neither/nor' is used to connect the two subjects.
Step 3: Determine which subject is closest to the verb. In this case, 'the employees' is the nearest subject.
Step 4: Check the number of the nearest subject. 'Employees' is plural.
Step 5: Use the plural form of the verb 'to be'. Instead of 'was', use 'were'.
Step 6: Rewrite the sentence with the correct verb form: 'Neither the manager nor the employees were present at the meeting.'
