Question

Which rule best explains why the verb in the following sentence is correct?

Neither the council members nor the mayor supports the new parking restrictions.


This sentence has a mixed compound subject connected by or, so the verb agrees with the first plural subject.
Both parts of the compound subject are singular, so a singular verb is used.
This sentence has a mixed compound subject connected by nor, so the verb agrees with the singular subject that is closer.
Both parts of the compound subject are thought of as a single item, so a singular verb is used.

Answer 1

This sentence has a mixed compound subject connected by nor, so the verb agrees with the singular subject that is closer.

Answer 2

The answer to your question would be that the rule that best explains why the verb in the following sentence is correct is the following one: This sentence has a mixed compound subject connected by nor, so the verb agrees with the singular subject that is closer.

In this case, "neither" is part of a two-part conjunction joining two subjects: "the council members" and "the mayor". Therefore, the verb must agree with the nearer subject ("the mayor", which is singular).