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Should we use a singular verb or a plural verb after “neither”? English learners often ask: “Do I say Neither of my parents is retired or Neither of my parents are retired?”
Let’s learn how to use the word “neither” correctly in several different sentence structures.
1. Neither + Singular Noun → Singular Verb
When neither is followed by a singular noun, the verb is also singular.
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Neither answer is correct.
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Neither student was late.
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Neither option seems attractive.
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Neither movie was very good.
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Neither teacher has arrived yet.
👉 Here, neither means “not one, not the other,” so it matches a singular verb.
2. Neither of + Plural Noun/Pronoun → Singular Verb (formal/standard) or Plural Verb (informal/everyday)
When we say neither of followed by a plural noun, traditional grammar uses a singular verb:
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Neither of my parents is retired.
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Neither of the books has a happy ending.
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Neither of the players was injured.
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Neither of the solutions works for me.
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Neither of the candidates has enough experience.
👉 This is the form you’ll see in exams, textbooks, and formal writing.
However, in everyday English, many people use a plural verb to match the plural noun.
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Neither of my parents are retired.
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Neither of the books have good reviews.
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Neither of the players were injured.
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Neither of the solutions work for me.
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Neither of the candidates have enough experience.
👉 This usage is very common in conversation. It’s not “wrong,” but it’s more informal.
3. Neither A nor B … → Verb Agrees with the Second Subject
With the structure “neither A nor B,” the verb matches the subject closest to it.
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Neither the teacher nor the students are ready.
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Neither the students nor the teacher is ready.
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Neither John nor his friends have called me.
- Neither my parents nor my brother has visited.
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Neither the dogs nor the cat was sleeping.
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Neither the manager nor the employees were satisfied.
👉 This rule is important for subject-verb agreement when the two subjects differ in number.
✅ Quick Summary:
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Neither + singular noun → singular verb
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Neither of + plural → singular (formal), plural (informal)
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Neither A nor B → verb agrees with the subject closest to it
