Subject-verb agreement with either-or and neither-nor

Correlative conjunctions come in pairs. Either-or and neither-nor link alternatives, but they do not make the joined subjects behave like a simple plural subject with “and.” In standard edited English, the verb usually agrees with the subject closest to it.

Use the nearer subject to choose the verb

In “Either the manager or the employees are responsible,” the plural subject “employees” is nearest to the verb, so use “are.” In “Either the employees or the manager is responsible,” the singular “manager” is nearest, so use “is.” The same pattern applies to neither-nor: “Neither the technicians nor the pharmacist is available,” but “Neither the pharmacist nor the technicians are available.”

Ignore words inside intervening phrases

A prepositional phrase between the subjects and verb can distract from the actual agreement: “Neither the list of materials nor the instructors are ready.” The closer subject is “instructors,” so “are” agrees even though “list” appears closer to the verb in the surface sentence. Strip out phrases such as “of materials,” “with the late registration” or “in the second room,” then locate the paired subjects.

What if one subject is singular and one is plural?

The nearer-subject rule can make a sentence sound awkward, especially when the subjects differ in number. You can often improve the sentence by putting the plural subject closer to the verb or rewriting the idea: “The instructor or the tutors are responsible” may be clearer as “The instructor is responsible, or the tutors are.” On a multiple-choice question, follow the standard agreement rule unless the sentence structure signals a different subject.

Distinguish or from and

A compound subject joined by “and” usually takes a plural verb: “The instructor and the tutors are ready.” Either-or and neither-nor express alternatives, so use the nearer-subject agreement pattern instead. Do not choose a plural verb simply because two nouns appear in the sentence.

Editing checklist

1. Find the verb and identify the two subjects connected by the paired conjunction.
2. Ignore intervening phrases that are not part of either subject.
3. Check the number of the subject nearest the verb.
4. Choose the matching verb form.
5. If the result sounds clumsy, consider whether the sentence can be recast for clarity.

Key takeaway

With either-or and neither-nor, the subject closest to the verb generally controls agreement. Identify that subject before matching singular or plural form.

Make the verb agree with the nearer subject

In the standard proximity rule, a verb joined to two subjects by either…or or neither…nor agrees with the subject closer to the verb. “Either the tutors or the coordinator is available” uses is because coordinator is singular and nearer. “Either the coordinator or the tutors are available” uses are because tutors is plural and nearer. Identify the full subject pair and the verb before deciding.

The same proximity pattern is commonly applied when subjects are connected by nor after a negative neither. In formal editing, the nearest-subject rule is the expected convention. The sentence can still sound awkward when the subjects differ in number, so revision is often better than relying on proximity.

Revise mismatched subjects for smoother reading

When one subject is singular and the other plural, place the plural subject closer to the verb if that keeps the intended meaning and improves sound: “Neither the manager nor the assistants are available.” Better still, recast the sentence to avoid a mismatch: “The manager is unavailable, and neither assistant can attend,” if that accurately expresses the facts. Do not rearrange terms if it changes emphasis or meaning.

With compound subjects using and, the usual rule is plural: “The tutor and the coordinator are meeting.” Either…or and neither…nor connect alternatives and generally use proximity agreement instead. Do not transfer the plural-and rule to an either-or subject.

Check pronouns and intervening phrases

An intervening phrase does not change the subject’s number. In “Neither the instructor, along with the assistants, nor the students are available,” the intended subject structure may be difficult to parse. Remove or relocate the interrupting phrase so the alternative subjects are clear. The closest noun should be the actual second subject, not a noun inside a descriptive phrase.

If both subjects are singular, use a singular verb; if both are plural, use a plural verb. Pronouns follow the same number logic, but the nearest subject and the pronoun’s referent must be checked separately. When the two alternatives take different pronoun forms, rewriting can prevent a distracting mismatch.

• Underline both subjects joined by either-or or neither-nor.
• Find the subject closest to the verb and match its number.
• Do not let an interrupting phrase control agreement.
• Distinguish alternative pairs from subjects joined by and.
• Revise mixed-number pairs when the proximity construction sounds confusing.

Parse the complete pair before selecting agreement

With either…or and neither…nor, underline both alternative subjects before looking at the verb. The usual formal proximity convention matches the verb to the nearer subject: “Neither the assistants nor the supervisor is available”; “Neither the supervisor nor the assistants are available.” The subject is the whole pair, but number agreement follows the nearer member in this construction.

If both alternatives are singular, use a singular verb; if both are plural, use a plural verb. “Either the teacher or the counselor is attending” uses is because both are singular. “Neither the students nor the tutors are attending” uses are because both are plural. Mixed-number pairs are where the proximity rule matters most.

Do not let nearby nouns control the verb

An intervening phrase can make the wrong noun seem closest: “Neither the manager, along with the assistants, nor the clients are available.” The phrase along with the assistants is not one of the two alternatives. Rewrite to make the paired subjects clear: “Neither the manager nor the clients are available.” Keep descriptive phrases away from the verb if they obscure which subject controls agreement.

The order of alternatives can be adjusted to place the plural subject nearest the verb, but preserve natural emphasis and meaning. “Neither the manager nor the assistants are available” is smoother than a singular verb followed by a distant plural phrase. When adjustment is awkward, create two clauses: “The manager is unavailable, and the assistants cannot attend.”

Keep agreement separate from parallel structure

The two elements joined by either-or or neither-nor should also be parallel in form when possible: “The form can be completed either online or by mail” pairs adverbial phrases. “Either complete the form online or by mail” mismatches a verb phrase with a prepositional phrase; revise to “Either complete it online or mail a paper copy.” A sentence can have correct verb agreement and still lack parallel structure.

• Identify both alternatives and exclude interrupting phrases.
• Match the verb to the nearer alternative under the standard proximity rule.
• When numbers match, use their shared singular or plural agreement.
• Reorder or recast mixed-number pairs for smoother reading.
• Check parallel form separately from subject-verb agreement.