Guest  +  54021 Sun, 07 Nov 04 10:48 AM I'm not very good in grammar but this really confuses me. Here are two explanations of using either/or and neither/nor taken form different sources. 1.When "or," "nor," "either. . .or," "neither. . .nor," "not...but," "not only...but also," are following the compound subject, make the verb agree in number and in person with the nearer subject. Neither the windows nor the door needs to painted. Not the butler but the maids clean the house. 2.If the pairings either/or or neither/nor form part of the subject of a verb and at least one of the elements is plural, then the verb must be plural too. Either the budgies or the cat have to go. Now which one is correct? Guest Grammar, Verbs, Plurals, Compound Subjects

	Mister Micawber  +  54026 Sun, 07 Nov 04 11:05 AM No wonder you are confused. It is obviously a point of disagreement. Greenbaum & Quirk state that 'when conjoins differ in number, recourse is generally made to the principle of proximity [i.e. the nearest subject]; the number of the second conjoin determines the number of the verb. . . . In less formal usage, phrases coordinated with neither ... nor are treated more like and for concord. Thus, 'neither he nor his wife have arrived' is more natural in speech than 'neither he nor his wife has arrived'. If you wish to be conservatively correct in the written language, I suggest that you adhere to rule (1). Mister Micawber Joined on Wed, Aug 4 2004 Yokohama Veteran Member 32,223 'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master-- that's all.' Grammar, Verbs