Tricky Agreement: Subject-Verb Agreement with Correlative Conjunctions Quiz

The rule for 'neither/nor' is that the verb agrees with the subject closest to it. The closest subject is 'cat' (singular), so the singular verb 'is' (or 'was') is correct; 'is' is the best choice for a present state.

For 'either/or,' the verb agrees with the subject closest to it. 'Teachers' is a plural noun, making the plural verb 'are' the correct choice for agreement.

This statement is true; 'both/and' always links two items that, when combined, create a compound plural subject, necessitating a plural verb.

The rule for 'not only/but also' dictates that the verb agrees with the closest subject. 'Professors' is plural, requiring the plural verb 'are'.

Sentence A is correct because 'both/and' is always plural. C is correct because the closest subject 'orange' is singular. D is correct because the closest subject 'student' is singular. B is incorrect because the plural 'players' is closer, requiring 'are'.

In sentence B, the closest subject to the verb is 'crew members' (plural), so the plural verb 'are' is correctly used. A is wrong; C and D violate their respective SVA rules.

The pair 'both/and' always forms a plural subject, regardless of the individual parts, so the plural verb 'were' is required for agreement.

This is false. With 'either/or,' 'neither/nor,' and 'not only/but also,' the verb agrees with the subject closest to the verb, which may be the second subject mentioned.

The subject closest to the verb is 'Alex,' which is singular. Therefore, the singular verb 'is' is the correct choice to maintain subject-verb agreement.

A is wrong ('cats' is plural, should be 'seem'). B is wrong ('pie' is singular, should be 'is'). D is wrong ('both/and' is plural, should be 'need').

The verb must agree with the closest subject. 'The host' is singular, so the singular helping verb 'has' (forming the present perfect tense) is required.

The closest subject is 'employees' (plural), so the plural verb 'were' is the only correct form to use with the correlative conjunction 'neither/nor'.

This is false. The rule for 'both...and...' is absolute: it always creates a compound plural subject and must always take a plural verb (e.g., Both ice cream and cake are delicious).

The subject closest to the verb is 'the teacher' (singular), requiring the singular verb 'is' for correct agreement with the 'either/or' construction.

A is correct ('boss' is singular, 'attends' is singular). B is correct ('both/and' is plural, 'are' is plural). C is incorrect ('gloves' is plural, 'are' is correct, so the sentence is fine). D is incorrect ('nurses' is plural, should be 'perform').

The verb agrees with the closest subject, 'the paper' (singular). Therefore, the singular verb 'is' is the correct choice in the present tense.

The subject closest to the verb is 'the adults' (plural), which mandates the use of the plural verb 'are' in this 'not only/but also' construction.

This is false. While the proximity rule applies to 'neither/nor,' 'either/or,' and 'not only/but also,' the pair 'both/and' is an exception, as it always requires a plural verb.

The 'both/and' pair always creates a plural subject (the salad and the soup combined), which must take the plural verb 'are'.

The subject closest to the verb is 'the counselors' (plural), so the plural verb 'were' is the correct choice for subject-verb agreement in the past tense.