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Were is used in the second person singular and plural (you, your, yours) and first and third person plural (we, they).. The forms that was and were will take in your sentence are summarized in the chart below,. Singular = I was, You were, He was, She was, It was. Plural = We were, You were, They were. I was driving to the park. You were drinking some water. He was about to eat dinner.

The example was this one: Neither his son nor his daughter were at the funeral. The writer queried the presence of a plural verb in this example, believing this to be incorrect because neither, being singular, should be followed by a singular verb.

Most grammatical authorities and style manuals (like the Chicago Manual of Style) recommend treating neither as singular. In formal writing, use ...

Were is the second person singular and plural past tense form of the verb to be, ... means to make sure that they are either both plural or both singular.

Normally ‘neither’ is singular, so ‘neither was,’ but if ‘neither’ refers to a collective noun, someone might use a plural verb, e.g. “We asked for input from both groups, but neither were in agreement on the best way to proceed.”. We wouldn’t say this in North America, however; we’d say ‘was in agreement.’.

In formal usage, it should definitely be is: Neither of these options is available. This is the traditional rule (iirc, Fowler's discusses this at length).

Either is singular. Neither is also singular. 'Either/or' and 'neither/nor' are singular if their elements are singular, but treat the pairing as plural if ...

Neither Kramer nor her lawyer were available for comment. ... are lots of threads about singular/plural verbs after neither or neither nor.

Neither is usually used with a singular verb, as in "Neither one is here." But sometimes, especially when a prepositional phrase with a plural in it comes ...

“Was” and “were” as Past and Subjunctive Verb Tenses

If you have a singular noun and a plural noun yoked with neither-nor or either-or, put the plural noun last. Your sentence will sound better.

For example: You were home last night.. The boys were in bed by ten o’clock.. They were asleep by eleven.. The use of were vs was can get a little murky in a few situations. The first situation is when using the phrases there were or there was.In order to use these terms correctly, you must identify the subject of the sentence and make sure that the subject and verb are in agreement.

12.09.2015 · Have you ever struggled with either or neither, wondering if they referred to subjects singular or plural, wondering if they took singular or plural verbs?. Have you looked up either and neither only to find competing rules about their use, about whether they are indeed singular or plural?. Let’s look at both words and settle the issue of subject-verb agreement when they’re …

12.07.2017 · Both neither and either are used with singular verbs. Ex. Neither of you is leaving until you have finished your work.. Ex. Either day is convenient.. BE CAREFUL when you use a compound subject with either or neither. Look at these examples below: Ex. Neither my father nor my sisters like to play soccer.. In this sentence the plural verb like agrees with the subject that …

The meaning of NEITHER is not either. How to use neither in a sentence. Frequently Asked Questions About neither.

10.11.2021 · Neither, neither … nor and not … either - English Grammar Today - a reference to written and spoken English grammar and usage - Cambridge Dictionary

Answer (1 of 8): [Which is correct, “neither was” or “neither were”?] One cannot answer this in isolation from the context. Both can be correct as the following examples show: “A cat and a dog were there yesterday but today neither was there.” “Cats and dogs were there yesterday but …

When to Use Neither

Learn more about NEITHER WERE NEITHER WAS at GrammarBook.com. ... phrase (object of the preposition) to determine whether to use a singular or plural verb.

Neither his son nor his daughter were at the funeral. The writer queried the presence of a plural verb in this example, believing this to be ...

The writer queried the presence of a plural verb in this example, believing this to be incorrect because neither, being singular, should be followed by a singular verb.. In his reply, our Editor-in-Chief Michael Rundell noted that: “It’s interesting that most dictionaries (e.g. Oxford, Merriam-Webster, American Heritage) don’t directly address this particular case.”

Frequently Asked Questions About neither. not either; also not… See the full definition. SINCE 1828. ... But sometimes, especially when a prepositional phrase with a plural in it comes between neither and the verb, a plural verb is used, as in "Neither of ... not either His grades were neither good nor bad. 2: also not Our parents did not ...