Master the Use of "Neither... Nor": Rules, Proximity Rule, and Practice Workbook

While "Either... Or" is used for positive choices, "Neither... Nor" is its negative counterpart. It is used to join two negative ideas, meaning "not one and not the other."

Just like "either... or," this pair follows specific rules regarding Subject-Verb Agreement that frequently appear in competitive exams like the Sainik School (AISSEE) and RMS.

1. The Basic Rule: Two Negatives

We use neither... nor to say that two things are not true or do not happen.

  • Example: "He speaks neither English nor French."

  • Example: "Neither the red shirt nor the blue one fits me."

Important Note: "Neither" and "Nor" are already negative. Do not use another "not" in the same sentence (this is called a double negative).

  • Incorrect: I do not want neither tea nor coffee.

  • Correct: I want neither tea nor coffee.

2. The Proximity Rule (Subject-Verb Agreement)

This is the most important rule for students to remember. When subjects are joined by "neither... nor," the verb must agree with the subject closest to it.

  • Case A: Neither the captain nor the players are happy. (Verb matches "players").

  • Case B: Neither the players nor the captain is happy. (Verb matches "captain").

3. Rule of Parallelism

Both parts of the pair should be followed by the same type of word (Noun with Noun, Verb with Verb, etc.).

  • Incorrect: He neither likes (verb) nor swimming (gerund).

  • Correct: He neither likes (verb) nor hates (verb) swimming.

📝 Part 1: Workbook Exercise (Fill in the Blanks)

Complete the sentences using the correct form of the verb in the brackets.

  1. Neither the teacher nor the students __________ (has/have) the keys.

  2. Neither my sister nor my parents __________ (is/are) attending the party.

  3. Neither the cat nor the dog __________ (likes/like) the new food.

  4. Neither apples nor oranges __________ (is/are) available in the market.

  5. Neither you nor I __________ (am/are) going to win this race.

🚀 Part 2: MCQ Practice (Exam Style)

Choose the correct option for each question.

Q1. Identify the grammatically correct sentence: (a) Neither he or his friend is coming. (b) Neither he nor his friend are coming. (c) Neither he nor his friend is coming. (d) Neither he nor his friends is coming.

Q2. Choose the correct verb: "Neither the principal nor the teachers ______ present at the meeting." (a) was (b) is (c) were (d) has been

Q3. Fill in the blank: "He is _______ a singer _______ a dancer." (a) neither / or (b) neither / nor (c) either / nor (d) neither / and

Q4. "Neither of the two books ______ interesting." (a) are (b) is (c) were (d) have been

Q5. Find the error in the sentence: "Neither the boys (A) nor their (B) father (C) are (D) working." (a) A (b) B (c) C (d) D

✅ Answer Key

Workbook Answers:

  1. have (matches "students")

  2. are (matches "parents")

  3. likes (matches "dog")

  4. are (matches "oranges")

  5. am (matches "I")

MCQ Answers:

  1. (c) (Friend is singular, so use 'is')

  2. (c) (Teachers is plural, so use 'were')

  3. (b)

  4. (b) (When 'neither' is used alone as a pronoun, it is always singular)

  5. (d) (Should be 'is' because it must match 'father')

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