16Hit1600
Standard English ConventionsMediumAgreement with 'neither of'

Standard English Conventions practice question

Neither of the two proposals ____ acceptable to the council.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

  1. A. wasCorrect
  2. B. were
  3. C. are
  4. D. have been

Answer: A. was

'Neither' is the subject and is singular; 'of the two proposals' only describes it. So: 'Neither ... was acceptable'.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. were
'were' agrees with 'proposals', but 'proposals' is inside a prepositional phrase.
C. are
'are' is plural; 'neither' takes a singular verb.
D. have been
'have been' is plural.

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