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Therefore I am
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Most of the time, subject-verb agreement comes naturally. We don't second-guess the verbs we use in a sentence such as, "I am going to the park, and she is going to meet me there." But every now and then, as with our "couple" example from a few weeks ago, it gets tricky. You showed in last week's quiz that you're clear on the rule that you need to use "either" with "or" and "neither" with "nor." (Neither "either...nor" nor "neither...or" is correct.) But the subject-verb agreement tripped you up. The second answer choice might *sound* correct, because you would say, "He and I are available on Friday." But the phrases "either...or" and "neither...nor" contain two independent subjects, so the verb needs to match the nearest subject. Thus, the correct answer is the final choice: "Neither he nor I am available on Friday." All right, let's try another "neither" quiz:
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We're continuing our series on either and neither this week, and you did well on the first quiz: Even though you might hear people use "either side" here, remember "either" means one or the other. You might have a tree on each side, but once you're using the plural "trees," you're probably talking about both sides. All right, like we said last week, we were easing you in with that question. There are some trickier questions when it comes to "either" and "neither." Let's try this one... Which...
TGIF! If someone tells you they're not sad that the workweek is coming to a close, you'd (probably) respond with today's subject line: "Me neither." Or you might say, "Me either," but that phrase is less precise. What you really mean is, "I am not sad that the workweek is ending either," so you need the "n" to keep the negative context. That's our first lesson — or reminder — for the series we're kicking off today on either and neither. We'll ease you in with this quiz: There were trees on...
Say my friend John and I have shared ownership of a set of books. How would you write about our books? John and I have shared ownership of a set of books. How should I write about it? John and my books John's and my's books John's and my books John and I's books John's and I's books My and John's books This question was inspired by one of you! We're inviting you to share your editing challenges here, and we'll answer your questions in this newsletter. Now let's see how you did on last week's...