0

Normally, we make the verb agree with the second subject in constructions of "either..... or" and "neither....nor".
However, I am confused about the following sentence:

the court has to decide whether the supervisor or the workers is to be summoned.

Should we use "is" or "are" to make the sentence correct? And, more importantly, which one is the real subject in this example; "supervisor" or "workers"?

Decapitated Soul
  • 16,598
Saqlen Rasool
  • 3
  • Plural "are" is correct. The subject is the noun phrase coordination "the supervisor or the workers". Note that "whether the supervisor or the workers are to be summoned" is an interrogative clause (embedded question) serving as complement of "decide" – BillJ Sep 11 '20 at 07:22

1 Answers1

0

According to Dictionary.com, you should use a plural verbal form. The rule states that "when a sentence includes both a singular and a plural subject connected by 'or' or 'nor', you should match the verb to the noun closest to it.".

  • Either Sheila or her daughters are going to the game.
  • Neither the toy by the door nor the shoes in the living room need to be put away.

This same reference mentions that you are dealing with multiple subjects; therefore "supervisor" is a subject of the verb and "workers" is another.

Decapitated Soul
  • 16,598
LPH
  • 20,841
  • If the 'whether' here makes no difference, the question is a duplicate, and the duplicate has a specimen answer and a caveat explaining that the answer is less than perfect (though the best possible). – Edwin Ashworth Oct 11 '20 at 14:00