GCEEnglish LanguageGrammar and Usage2024

Choose the grammatically correct sentence from the options below.

ANeither the students nor the teacher were present at the assembly.
BNeither the students nor the teacher was present at the assembly.CORRECT
CNeither the students nor the teacher are present at the assembly.
DNeither the students nor the teacher have been present at the assembly.
AI
Toaster Teacher
Why the answer is B, and why the others tempt you.
When 'neither...nor' joins two subjects, the verb agrees with the subject closest to it — this is the principle of proximity. Since 'the teacher' (singular) is closest to the verb, the singular form 'was' is correct. Options A and C use plural verb forms that agree with the farther subject 'students', which violates the proximity rule.
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