≡ Menu
jaced.com

Either is, neither is: rules are rules

From ProofreadNOW:

Either and neither are versatile words. Each can serve as a pronoun, an adjective, a conjunction, and an adverb. Know another word that can be any of four parts of speech?

When either or neither is used as a pronoun, confusion sometimes arises as to what form of verb should follow. The rule: always use the singular form of the verb in phrases and clauses that begin with either of and neither of, regardless of the number of the noun that follows.

  • When it came to choosing between mango ice cream and Key lime pie, it was a win-win situation. Either of them is delicious! (The single verb form is is required here.)
  • But when it came to voting in the recent election, I held my nose and pulled the lever. Neither of the candidates has any experience at running a water ski club, so what does it matter? (The singular verb form has is required here.)

Comments on this entry are closed.