Question

Identify the sentence that is acceptable from the ones given below

• A. neither Aravind nor my other friends care about losing money
• B. neither Aravind nor my other friends cares about losing money
• C. neither Aravind nor my other friends has cared about losing money
• D. neither Aravind nor my other friends has been cared about losing money

Answer 1

Answer:

A. neither Aravind nor my other friends care about losing money

Grammar and Sentence Structure - Acceptable Sentences

• Understanding subject-verb agreement is crucial for constructing grammatically correct sentences, especially when dealing with compound subjects.
• When a sentence has a compound subject joined by 'neither...nor', the verb agrees with the subject closest to it.
• In the sentence 'Neither Aravind nor my other friends care about losing money', the subject closest to the verb 'care' is 'my other friends', which is plural. Therefore, the plural verb 'care' is correctly used.
• Consider the reverse: 'Neither my other friends nor Aravind cares about losing money'. Here, 'Aravind' is singular and closest to the verb, so the singular verb 'cares' would be appropriate.
• This rule applies to singular and plural pronouns as well. Example: 'Neither she nor her sisters like to swim.' vs. 'Neither her sisters nor she likes to swim.'
• Pay attention to possessive pronouns and their antecedents. 'My' indicates the speaker's possession, and 'other friends' refers to a group distinct from the speaker.
• Common errors in competitive exams often involve misapplying subject-verb agreement with compound subjects, particularly with correlative conjunctions like 'neither...nor', 'either...or', 'not only...but also'.
• Always analyze the structure of the subject when using 'neither...nor' to ensure the verb aligns with the nearer subject.