Question

Neither Mark nor his neighbors (is, are) able to open the doors to the patio.

Short answer

The correct sentence is: 'Neither Mark nor his neighbors are able to open the doors to the patio.'

Step-by-step solution

Identify the Subject

Identify the subject of the sentence. Here, the subject is 'Neither Mark nor his neighbors'.

Identify the closer noun

Identify the noun closer to the verb. In this case, 'neighbors' is closer.

Ensure Verb-Subject Agreement

The verb should agree with the closer noun when 'either/or' or 'neither/nor' is used. 'Neighbors' is plural. Hence, the plural form of the verb is used.

Key concepts

Grammatical Rules

Understanding grammatical rules is essential to creating well-formed sentences. One such rule involves subject-verb agreement, where the verb in a sentence must agree with its subject. This can sometimes be challenging, especially in sentences that use "either/or" or "neither/nor" structures. Here, the verb must agree with the noun closest to it. If that noun is singular, the verb is singular, and if the noun is plural, the verb should be plural as well.

When faced with complex sentences, always break them down: - Identify the subject and the verb. - Determine the structure that links the subject(s) like "either/or" or "neither/nor". - Check the noun nearest to the verb for correct agreement.
Remember, following these rules ensures your sentences not only make sense but are grammatically correct.

Plural Nouns

Plural nouns refer to more than one of something, usually marked by adding 's' or 'es' to the singular form. For example, 'dog' becomes 'dogs', and 'fox' becomes 'foxes'. However, English often has irregular plurals, such as 'child' which becomes 'children', and 'mouse' which becomes 'mice'.

In terms of subject-verb agreement: - A plural noun takes a plural verb. For instance, "The children are playing." - Pay attention to noun forms linked by "and", which are generally considered plural and take a plural verb, like "Mark and his neighbors are..."

Understanding these rules will help in forming correct subject-verb agreements, especially when dealing with compound subjects linked by conjunctions.

Verb Forms

Verbs change their forms based on tense, mood, and agreement. When focusing on agreement, verbs should match their subjects in both number and person. For instance, "He runs" is correct because both 'he' and 'runs' are singular, while "They run" is correct because both 'they' and 'run' are plural.

Particularly in compound subjects linked by "either/or" or "neither/nor", as seen in the sentence "Neither Mark nor his neighbors are able...", the verb needs to match the closest subject noun. Here "are" is used because "neighbors" is plural.

Remember: - Use singular verbs for singular subjects: "The cat runs." - Use plural verbs for plural subjects: "The cats run."
Mastering verb forms ensures your sentences convey the right time and agreement while making sense.