Chapter 2 Word Choice
51
either/or, neither/nor
Mrs. B knows that you may not have the time to watch "CBS Sunday
Morning," but it would be helpful to you not only for news and
feature content but also for grammar.
One of the best ways to learn what is proper is to hear it spoken.
A recent "Sunday Morning" included this sentence, a good one for
study:
"There was no immediate indication that either Osama bin
Laden, Al Qaeda's leader, or Mullah Muhammad Omar, the
Taliban leader, WAS near the scene of the latest fighting."
If "either/or" connect two singular words, you must use a singular
verb.
v
We don't know if either the mayor or the city manager IS
available for comment.
The same applies to using "neither/nor."
You must use a singular verb.
v
Neither the sales department nor promotion IS aware of our plan
to use the anchors for the project.
If "either/or" or "neither/nor" connects two plural words, use a plural
verb.
v
Neither producers nor anchors HAVE the authority to make that
decision.
If "either/or" or "neither/nor" join a singular word and a plural word,
the verb agrees with the word nearer to it.
v
Either the chief photographer or the editors HAVE the answer
you're looking for.
v
Neither reporters nor the assignment manager KNOWS how
many times we've made that mistake.
