Questions tagged [disjunction]
The disjunction tag has no usage guidance.
2
votes
1answer
36 views
Multiple possessives of a single object linked by 'or'
In the sentence, 'NCA offers a tool to measure a country's or region's natural capital', are one or both of country and region possessive (country's or region's vs. country or region's)? Ownership is ...
1
vote
2answers
4k views
“Neither of us are” -vs- “Neither one of us is” [duplicate]
This cartoon was recently posted on Facebook. My sister (who is a retired HS English teacher) says the grammar is wrong and that the correct wording should be: "Neither one of us is." but I disagree.
...
2
votes
2answers
62 views
Are there errors related to grammatical number in this sentence from an English textbook?
Children always appreciate small gifts of money. Mum or dad, of course, provide a regular supply of pocket money, but uncles and aunts are always a source of extra income.
This is a sentence from "...
0
votes
1answer
254 views
Subject-verb agreement with “whether” [duplicate]
Which of the following choices makes this sentence is grammatically correct? or is there a better approach?
It's unclear whether he/him or I/me is/are first in line.
0
votes
2answers
1k views
Confused about the answer for “Neither the employees nor the owner (cares/care) about the customer.” [duplicate]
I'm sorry I couldn't be more specific in my question title. I don't have the vocabulary to pinpoint what exactly I have difficulties with yet; therefore, I'll try to explain through examples.
I came ...
0
votes
2answers
4k views
What verb? Neither you nor I [duplicate]
Neither you nor I are going to the show, or, Neither you nor I am going to the show
1
vote
1answer
122 views
“a time when you or a relative were/was a patient” [duplicate]
Is the following sentence correct?
Don't be afraid to talk about a time when you or a relative were a patient.
Or should it be one of the following:
Don't be afraid to talk about a time you or ...
7
votes
6answers
3k views
Is it “John or Mary's house” or “John's or Mary's house”?
I understand that if John and Mary own a house together, it is John and Mary's house. If they jointly owned multiple houses, they would be John and Mary's houses. I also understand that if John and ...
3
votes
3answers
206 views
With which noun should a verb following “(person) or I” agree?
In the sentence below, should the bolded word be prepare or prepares?
When my family eats at home, my mom or I prepares the meal.
Normally, I would side with the verb agreeing with its ...
1
vote
2answers
116 views
“I don’t want your Facebook or Twitter account as I don’t use it” vs. “…don't use them”
Two singular subjects connected by or should always take a singular pronoun. This is what I have understood. But if I want to write something like this then the second one looks more natural to me:
...
4
votes
4answers
128 views
.. or .. which … - does the which apply to both options?
Hi I'm not sure of the exact meaning of this sentence:
You may not engage in private practice or be connected with any outside business which would interfere with the performance of official duties.
...
3
votes
0answers
52 views
Noun-verb agreement for a list of singular nouns including “I” and joined by “or” [duplicate]
I understand that when you have a list of singular nouns joined by "or", you should use a singular verb.
Example:
Either Chris or Len is the next player
But what verb do you use if one of the ...
1
vote
1answer
133 views
What is the rule that describes the usage of “or” between multiple adjectives describing the same noun? [closed]
What is the rule that describes the use of "or" in these sentences?
"Do you want strawberry or grape jelly?"
"Can I drive the red, blue, or green car?"
1
vote
1answer
290 views
“There (are/were/is/was) no pus or polyps.” Which is correct?
Someome asked me which of these sentences is correct:
There are no pus or polyps.
Or
There were no pus or polyps.
Honestly, both sound wrong to me. I'd say, there was neither pus nor polyps.
...
0
votes
1answer
719 views
“Is” or “are” when one item is singular, the other plural [duplicate]
Would you say:
There is no fire or hot ashes in the fireplace.
or
There are no fire or hot ashes in the fireplace.
And where does that question mark go?
3
votes
1answer
680 views
Neither the plates nor the serving bowl “goes” or “go” on that shelf? [duplicate]
Neither the plates nor the serving bowl goes on that shelf.
Neither the plates nor the serving bowl go on that shelf.
What form of the verb is better in this context, singular or plural? Which ...
0
votes
1answer
94 views
Subjunctive that has no subject? [duplicate]
Like it or not, . . . (Whether you like it or not)
I've come across this kind of phrase many times, but this is the only one--among no-subject subjunctives--that I can be sure it's common and right ...
-1
votes
2answers
3k views
Usage of neither in a sentence [closed]
Is the sentence "Neither of Jack and Jill is present here" correct? I want to use "neither" and "and" in a sentence.
0
votes
1answer
2k views
Is it “set A or B” or “sets A or B”?
Here is my sentence:
The report further identifies two partial sets, which are not in themselves default sets but which one can—wholly or partly—combine with default sets A or B, or ...
0
votes
1answer
2k views
It wasn't someone or I vs. It wasn't me or someone (usage in denial statement) [duplicate]
If one was to state that neither him or another person committed a certain act, how would that be phrased with proper grammar?
ex. Who broke that window?
It wasn't me or Steve.
vs.
It wasn't Steve ...
-1
votes
1answer
519 views
Is it right to use a singular form of the verb in this sentence?
I wanted to know if it is grammatically correct to say:
Either the teacher or the students WAS enjoying the picnic.
I'm talking about a grammatical principle and not a proximity or attraction one.
...
4
votes
3answers
2k views
Is it correct to use “or” in place of “and/or”?
Consider the following sentence:
A project is a large and/or complex undertaking.
To me, the expression “and/or” seems redundant since in formal logic “or” implies “...
0
votes
2answers
462 views
Which variation of this sentence would be correct? Are vs. Is [duplicate]
I'm curious which I should use of the following:
If you or someone you know are having troubles logging on to VMware, please ask Bob Smith for help.
If you or someone you know is having troubles ...
0
votes
1answer
813 views
why is there a difference in the usage of “neither…nor” in similar sentences? [duplicate]
look at these two sentences:
neither the coach nor the players are going to the beach.
neither the players nor the coach is going to the beach.
why does one sentence use "are" while the other has "...
4
votes
1answer
1k views
Using “nor” at the end of a list begun with “no” [duplicate]
Which is correct?
"The book has no marks, tears, wrinkles or writing."
"The book has no marks, tears, wrinkles nor writing."
(I understand the use of neither/nor and either/or.) In this ...
3
votes
2answers
415 views
Mixed person subjects and verb agreement
Please consider this sentence.
"Not for as long as I or Patricia Smith live will you be allowed to forget that."
In this sentence, I've chosen to write live as I believe it is more correct as it ...
0
votes
1answer
2k views
Neither is or are [duplicate]
Should this be neither is or neither are?
Neither of these two books is suitable.
Neither of these two books are suitable.
Which one is correct?
3
votes
2answers
8k views
Either + plural noun + plural verb
I know that "either" is singular as is "neither". But I've seen it used as a plural pronoun. Take this sentence for example:
It's the only chance either of us have of getting home.
Is this usage ...
2
votes
1answer
3k views
Can “nor” be used without “neither”?
I came across this sentence:
Cummings Motors, Smith Electric nor our subcontractors can be held liable.
Is this a proper use of the word nor?
I can understand
Neither Cummings Motors nor Smith ...
0
votes
0answers
53 views
Correct pronoun: 'his' or 'their'? [duplicate]
I would like to know whether his or their is the correct pronoun to be used in the following sentence:
Neither she nor he has finished ....... work.
In my opinion it should be their but some ...
5
votes
5answers
17k views
“Either A, or B, or both”
I want to say that it's possible that at least one of {A,B} is true, and possibly both of them are true. Is it correct to phrase it as "either A, or B, or both are true".
13
votes
2answers
58k views
Controversy over verb choice in “neither you nor I {is/am/are} in control”
I was watching the film A Game of Shadows starring Robert Downey Junior and Jude Law when this line came up, "...neither you nor I is in control..." (I can’t remember the exact words that ended the ...
7
votes
3answers
16k views
Singular or plural verb after a series connected by “or”
The following sentence refers to an apocalyptic story where money no longer has any value:
A can of sardines, radio batteries, or a bicycle is/are more precious than money.
Should I use is or are ...
7
votes
2answers
219 views
What form of the verb is used with compound subjects containing “or”?
We always get work done, regardless of what mood Bill or I is/am/are in.
Which form of 'be' would be used here?
1
vote
1answer
178 views
Is it good style to factor out the common root word of two (or more) prefixed compound words?
I see sometimes in conjunciton or disjunction, the common root of two or more compound words are factored out, for example, "super- and sub-script" (maybe bad example, but it suffices to describe the ...
2
votes
1answer
550 views
When a sentence contains both “not” and “or”, which one has priority?
I am changing a piece of text which current reads:
Payment not deducted
to also include the situation where payments are withheld. The suggested revision of text given to me is
Payment not ...
2
votes
2answers
1k views
Which of several or’d-together subjects should the verb agree with? [duplicate]
There are instances when I have difficulties with the agreement between the subject and the predicate. Which of these should I say:
Neither you nor I am to blame
Neither you nor I are to blame.
3
votes
1answer
5k views
Correct use of is/are in a list of pronouns [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Using “are/is” after a list with “and/or”
My company's website recently received an E-mail stating there was a grammatical error in our greeting message. The sentence in ...
0
votes
3answers
2k views
Is “tell neither X nor Y” equivalent to “not tell both X and Y” or “not tell either X and Y”? [closed]
Given the sentence "John told neither the boss nor the secretary.", which of the following has the same meaning?
John did not tell both the boss and the secretary.
John did not tell either the ...
3
votes
2answers
457 views
Is this 'neither' a determiner?
However, this mirror will give us neither knowledge or truth. (Harry
Potter book 1, p213)
However, this mirror will give us neither knowledge nor truth.
As I’m accustomed to ‘neither~nor’ ...
0
votes
1answer
71k views
Using “are/is” after a list with “and/or” [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Singular or plural following a list
James and Mark are going to help you.
Here, I use 'are' because the subject is plural.
James or Mark are going to help you.
...
9
votes
1answer
13k views
When should we use proximity rule in “either/or”, and “neither/nor”?
According to this link, if at least one of the nouns involved is plural then it should take the plural form of the verb. Otherwise, it should take the singular form of the verb. But in the last part ...
2
votes
2answers
2k views
Does double negation turn “neither” into “either”?
Peter Guess posted tongue twister with a construct where something occurs that creates what looks like a paradox to me.
neither either...or...or nor neither...nor...nor are either particularly ...
3
votes
1answer
2k views
“Neither Billy nor Suzy look” vs. “neither Billy nor Suzy looks” [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
“Neither is” or “neither are”
Say you take a photo of Billy and Suzy, but they both end up looking funny. Would you say
Neither Billy nor Suzy look ...
9
votes
4answers
24k views
“My brother or one of my sisters” — singular or plural?
Should I use 'was' or 'were' in this example?
I was always delighted when my brother or one of my sisters was/were asked to do them.
5
votes
2answers
3k views
If a noun phrase is made of two noun-like words that conjugate differently, then which conjugation do you use? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
“Neither Michael nor Albert is correct” or “Neither Michael nor Albert are correct”?
Is “either you or [third-person]” followed by a ...
30
votes
3answers
134k views
Using “nor” in a list without “neither”
This is the classic usage of neither/nor:
I would neither hide nor run away.
But is the following construction grammatical? (More than two choices, no neither)
I wasn't going to play dead.
I ...
2
votes
2answers
7k views
“Neither . . . nor” vs. “nor . . . neither”
In my native language we have a neither-nor-like structure which can be used either
as:
I neither like thing A and nor thing B.
or as:
I nor like thing A and neither thing B.
Is it possible to ...
44
votes
7answers
255k views
What is the correct way to use “neither” and “nor” in a sentence together?
Given these facts:
The tool cannot be found in the kitchen.
The tool cannot be found in the bathroom.
Which is the correct sentence to represent the situation above?
I can find the tool ...
4
votes
3answers
3k views
Use “or” or “nor”? [duplicate]
I've always wondered this but never asked. Given this statement:
Energy can be neither created nor destroyed.
Should it be or or nor? This is on Wikipedia so they are probably correct in saying ...
