Question:medium

Fill in the blank: Neither of the two candidates ______ qualified.

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Words like each, everyone, anyone, neither, either are treated as singular subjects and therefore take singular verbs.
Updated On: Apr 30, 2026
  • are
  • were
  • is
  • have
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The Correct Option is C

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
The sentence contains a blank that must be filled with the grammatically correct auxiliary verb.
We must apply standard rules of subject-verb agreement to determine the answer.
Step 2: Detailed Solution:
The subject of this sentence is the pronoun "Neither", not the plural noun "candidates".
In English grammar, words like "neither", "either", "each", "everyone", and "anyone" are distributive pronouns.
Distributive pronouns refer to individuals of a group one at a time, and therefore they are always treated as grammatically singular.
Because the subject "Neither" is singular, the verb that follows must also be in its singular form to maintain correct agreement.
Let's check the given options:
(A) "are" is plural.
(B) "were" is plural.
(C) "is" is singular.
(D) "have" is plural (except with 'I' or 'you').
The only singular verb among the choices is "is".
Step 3: Final Answer:
The correctly filled sentence reads: "Neither of the two candidates is qualified."
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