Fill in the blanks with a verb form that agrees with the subject.
1Neither James nor his children ............... English.
Wrong!
With "neither... nor," the verb agrees with the nearer subject, so "speak" is correct.
2Neither Sam nor his brother ............... on Sundays.
Wrong!
The nearer subject is singular, so "works" is correct.
3The farmer, along with his children, ............... hard day and night.
Wrong!
With "along with," the verb agrees with the main subject, so "toils" is correct.
4Neither you nor he ............... capable of doing this.
Wrong!
With "neither... nor," the verb agrees with the nearer subject, so "is" is correct.
5The writer and orator ............... no more.
Wrong!
"The writer and orator" refers to one person, so "is" is correct.
6The man, as well as his wife, ............... guilty.
Wrong!
With "as well as," the verb agrees with the main subject, so "is" is correct.
7Being bilingual ............... an advantage in the modern world.
Wrong!
A gerund phrase used as a subject is singular, so "is" is correct.
8Trespassing ............... prohibited.
Wrong!
The gerund subject "Trespassing" is singular, so "is" is correct.
9Each of the students ............... a notebook.
Wrong!
With "each," the subject is singular, so "needs" is correct.
10How they escaped ............... a mystery.
Wrong!
A noun clause used as a subject is singular, so "is" is correct.
11Everyone in the class ............... a dictionary.
Wrong!
"Everyone" is a singular indefinite pronoun, so "has" is correct.
12Neither you nor I ............... right.
Wrong!
With "neither... nor," the verb agrees with the nearer subject, so "am" is correct.
Answers
- Neither James nor his children speak English.
- Neither Sam nor his brother works on Sundays.
- The farmer, along with his children, toils hard day and night.
- Neither you nor he is capable of doing this.
- The writer and orator is no more.
- The man, as well as his wife, is guilty.
- Being bilingual is an advantage in the modern world.
- Trespassing is prohibited.
- Each of the students needs a notebook.
- How they escaped is a mystery.
- Everyone in the class has a dictionary.
- Neither you nor I am right.
