Is it grammatically correct to use the singular?
Neither sympathy nor empathy is relevant to the decision.
Or should I be using the plural form?
Neither sympathy nor empathy are relevant to the decision.
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Andrew Leach
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Hoa
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The first is correct usage. – vickyace May 28 '16 at 08:11
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Which is correct, “neither is” or “neither are”?http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/10304/which-is-correct-neither-is-or-neither-are – May 28 '16 at 08:15
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Both are correct, so it is a free choice. In your first example, the whole coordination has the same number as each coordinate, i.e. singular. In your second example, the plural verb matches the conceptualisation Both sympathy and empathy are not relevant to the decision. – BillJ May 28 '16 at 08:31