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ESL forum >
Techniques and methods in Language Teaching > Use of Neither
Use of Neither
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Ruwayda37
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Use of Neither
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Fill in using a possessive adjective:
Neither Jack nor Jane has ..... book.
Thanks in advance. |
8 Sep 2020
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esl-teacher
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I think it can�t be has or books because you are talking about neither of them, so it has to be Neither Jack nor Jane have their books. |
8 Sep 2020
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Ruwayda37
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Shouldn�t we use a singular verb if the last subject joined by neither .. nor ... is singular? |
8 Sep 2020
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douglas
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Typically yes, but for normal use we use the plural because the subjects mixed gender ( both male and female). If they were same gender we could use: Neither Jane nor Paula has her book. Note:Their as a singular pronoun is becoming more accepted in these days of gender neutral/ gender inclusive writing and speaking. |
9 Sep 2020
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ninon100
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Yes, we should use a singular verb. HAS, not have, because the last subject is singular. BUT: The exercise is incorrect in itself! I could also say Neither Jane nor Jack has MY/YOUR/OUR/HIS/HER book. And every single one of them is gramatically correct depending on the meaning. |
9 Sep 2020
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douglas
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https://ell.stackexchange.com/questions/132425/their-or-his-or-her-in-a-sentence-using-neither-nor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singular_they Common use allows for "their" in most cases--it�s been used as singular for along time (even Shakespeare used it that way). |
9 Sep 2020
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cunliffe
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Their. Douglas is right and this usage is becoming more and more the norm. |
9 Sep 2020
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almaz
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Yes, their is appropriate. And as has already been indicated, singular their is of ancient pedigree; the first recorded use was in the Wycliffite Bible of 1382: "Eche on in þer craft ys wijs" (that þ symbol – �thorn� – represented voiced th in Middle English). On the neither...nor front, I�m with Merriam-Webster�s Dictionary of English Usage: "Neither...nor with two (or more) singular subjects [...] is governed by notional agreement and may take either a singular or a plural verb, as if the writer were imagining it as the negative of �either this or that� or the negative of �both this and that�. When the subjects are plural, or the last subject is plural, a plural verb is expected." |
10 Sep 2020
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