Neither ... nor — Sentence Correction Aptitude Question
Neither ... nor: Choose the correct sentence: Answer and worked solution on CodeKairo.
- Topic: Sentence Correction
- Section: Verbal Ability
- Difficulty: Medium
- Time target: 50 seconds
Question
Choose the correct sentence:
Options
- Neither the teacher nor the students was present.
- Neither the teacher nor the students were present.
- Neither the teacher nor the students is present.
- Neither the teacher nor the students has been present.
Show the answer and the worked solution
Correct answer: B. Neither the teacher nor the students were present.
Worked solution
- In 'neither A nor B', the verb agrees with whichever subject is nearer.
- The nearer subject is students (plural), so the verb must be were.
Answer: Neither the teacher nor the students were present.
The idea
The proximity rule governs 'either ... or', 'neither ... nor' and 'not only ... but also'. Reversing the two subjects would change the correct verb.
Shortcut. Cover 'Neither the teacher nor' and read what is left: 'the students … present' can only take were. Among the four verbs (was, were, is, has been), were is the only plural form, so the choice is made without weighing the teacher at all.
Common trap. "Neither the teacher nor the students was present." — agreeing the verb with the first subject, the teacher, simply because it is read first; the verb must match the nearer noun, students.