Grammar Agreement Questions Medium
The rule for agreement with compound verbs is that the subject must agree with the verb closest to it. In other words, when a compound verb consists of two or more verbs joined by a conjunction such as "and," "or," or "nor," the subject should agree with the verb that immediately follows it. For example:
- The dog barks and jumps in excitement. (Subject "dog" agrees with the verb "barks.")
- Neither the cat nor the birds fly away. (Subject "cat" agrees with the verb "fly.")
However, there are exceptions to this rule. When the compound verb is joined by "either...or" or "neither...nor," the subject agrees with the verb that is closest to it. For instance:
- Either the students or the teacher is responsible for the mess. (Subject "teacher" agrees with the verb "is.")
- Neither the boys nor the girl wants to go to the party. (Subject "girl" agrees with the verb "wants.")
In summary, the rule for agreement with compound verbs is that the subject should agree with the verb closest to it, except when the compound verb is joined by "either...or" or "neither...nor," in which case the subject agrees with the verb that is closest to it.