Question 107·Medium·Form, Structure, and Sense
Neither the committee members nor the chairperson ______ currently willing to schedule an additional meeting over the holiday weekend.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For subject–verb agreement questions, first find the true subject of the verb, especially with structures like "neither … nor" or "either … or"—the verb must agree with the subject closest to it. Then, check any time clues (like "currently," "now," "last year") to decide on present vs. past tense. Finally, quickly eliminate options whose number (singular/plural) or tense doesn’t match, and choose the one that fits both the subject and the time word.
Hints
Locate the subject that controls the verb
Look at the part of the sentence right before the blank. Which noun is closest to the blank, and is it singular or plural?
Use the “neither … nor” rule
When you see "neither … nor," the verb usually agrees with the subject closest to it, not the first one. Focus on that nearer subject.
Check the time signal
Notice the word "currently." Does this suggest a present or past time? Choose a verb form that matches both the time and the number (singular/plural) of the nearer subject.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the full subject of the verb
Look at the structure: "Neither the committee members nor the chairperson ______ currently willing…". This is a “neither … nor” construction linking two parts of the subject:
- "the committee members" (plural)
- "the chairperson" (singular).
Apply the rule for “neither … nor”
With “neither … nor” (and also “either … or”), the verb agrees with the subject that is closer to the verb, not necessarily the first one.
Here, the noun just before the blank is "chairperson," which is singular. So the verb must be singular to match "chairperson."
Match the tense to the time word
The sentence uses the word "currently," which refers to present time.
Therefore, we need a present-tense verb form that is singular to agree with **"chairperson."
Choose the verb form that fits both number and tense
Now check the choices:
- "were" = past tense, plural
- "was" = past tense, singular
- "are" = present tense, plural
- "is" = present tense, singular
We need present tense and singular to agree with "chairperson" and match "currently." Only "is" fits, so the correct answer is D) is.