Choose the right form of the verb to go with the subject. When the team…
2023
Choose the right form of the verb to go with the subject.
When the team arrived, neither the Principal nor the Vice-Principal ______ present in the school.
- A.
was
- B.
were
- C.
is
- D.
will be
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Correct answer: A
Answer: was
Explanation: The construction neither ... nor ... is treated as a singular subject, so it takes a singular verb. The sentence also uses the past tense ('arrived'), so the verb must be the singular past form 'was'.
Rule: Use a singular verb with 'neither ... nor ...' when the elements joined are singular.
Tense: The main verb should match the past context 'arrived', so choose the past form.
Therefore: When the team arrived, neither the Principal nor the Vice-Principal was present in the school.
Note: If the two nouns joined by 'or'/'nor' differ in number, the verb sometimes agrees with the nearer noun; that nuance does not change the correct choice in this sentence because both nouns are singular.
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