Question:easy

Neither the manager nor the Cashier were able to report on the Company's progress.

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With "neither...nor," make the verb agree with the nearer subject.
Updated On: Jul 20, 2026
  • Neither the manager nor the Cashier were able to
  • Neither the manager or the Cashier were able to
  • Neither the manager nor the Cashier could able to
  • Neither the manager nor the Cashier will able to
  • Neither the manager nor the Cashier was able to
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The Correct Option is

Solution and Explanation

This is a straightforward test of subject-verb agreement with correlative conjunctions.

  1. Grammar rule: with "either...or" and "neither...nor," if both joined subjects are singular, the verb must also be singular. The verb takes its cue from the subject that sits closest to it, not from the first subject mentioned.
  2. Here, "the manager" and "the Cashier" are both singular nouns, and "the Cashier" is the one right next to the verb. So the correct verb is "was," not "were."
  3. Checking the choices: (a) keeps "were," which is wrong. (b) changes "nor" to "or," damaging the fixed phrase "neither...nor," and still uses "were." (c) and (d) both misuse "could/will" together with "able to," which is not standard English, since the modal verb already carries the sense of ability or futurity on its own.
  4. The only option that fixes the verb correctly while preserving everything else is "Neither the manager nor the Cashier was able to."

Verified answer: option (e).

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