English for Students

English : is and are

Which of the following sentences is correct?

Neither Mohan nor Geetha is going home.

Or

Neither Mohan nor Geetha are going home.

This is a questiion regarding How to use is and are in a sentence in which neither is used. Careful users of the language prefer the use of the singular verb is. In writing, you would be better off using is. In speech, however, it is quite common to hear even native speakers use the plural are. There is a tendency to use the plural verb in speech. This however is not considered to be grammatically correct. The verb that you use will depend on the noun which precedes it.

Here are a few examples:

• Neither the father nor his children were willing to go home.

• Neither the children nor the father was willing to go home.




COURTESY : The Hindu (The National News-Paper) - India