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Which of the following sentences uses the correct subject/verb agreement?

A) Neither pepperoni nor mushrooms are great on a pizza.
B) Neither pepperoni nor mushrooms is great on pizza.
C) Either pepperoni or mushroom are great on pizza.
D) Either pepperonis or mushroom are great on pizza.

User Haku
by
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1 Answer

6 votes

Final answer:

The sentence with the correct subject/verb agreement is B) Neither pepperoni nor mushrooms is great on pizza. The verb agrees with the closest subject 'pepperoni', which is singular, thus requiring the singular form 'is'.

Step-by-step explanation:

The sentence that uses the correct subject/verb agreement is B) Neither pepperoni nor mushrooms is great on pizza. In terms of subject-verb agreement rules, when compound subjects are joined by or or nor, the verb should agree with the part of the subject that is closest to it. Since 'mushrooms' is plural but is preceded by 'nor', and the part closest to the verb is 'pepperoni', which is singular, the verb must be singular as well. Thus, the correct verb form is 'is'.

Here are some other subject/verb agreement rules to keep in mind:

  • When the subject includes two or more nouns joined by and, a plural verb is generally used unless the subject represents a singular unit.
  • The verb must agree with the subject even when other words come between them. No matter how many intervening phrases or clauses there are, the verb agrees with the main subject.
  • If the verb comes before the subject, as in questions, the verb still agrees with the subject.
  • Indefinite pronouns like everyone, each, neither, typically require a singular verb, while several, few, both, generally need a plural verb.

Here are some examples with correct subject/verb agreement:

  1. Neither the manager nor the employees know about the shutdown.
  2. Each of the dogs has a unique collar.
  3. The book of poems is on the top shelf.

User Dkniffin
by
8.5k points