Know Your English (Feb2001)

Know your English

Which of the following sentences is correct? ``Neither Mohan nor Geetha is going home'', or, ``Neither Mohan nor Geetha are going home''.

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.

Source:
The Hindu daily, Tuesday, February 06, 2001