Question:easy

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

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With 'neither...nor', the verb agrees with the subject nearer to it; 'the Cashier' is singular, so use 'was', not 'were'.
Updated On: Jul 21, 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 was able to
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The Correct Option is D

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Understanding the Question.
We are checking subject verb agreement in 'Neither the manager nor the Cashier were able to report on the Company's progress'.

Step 2: Key Rule to Apply.
When subjects are joined by 'either...or' or 'neither...nor', the verb must agree with the subject that is closer to it, not with the first subject named. Here the nearer subject is 'the Cashier', which is singular, so the verb must be singular too.

Step 3: Detailed Explanation.
The original sentence uses 'were', a plural verb, which does not match the singular 'the Cashier'. Changing 'nor' to 'or' in one option is also wrong, since 'neither' must always be paired with 'nor'. Another option combines 'could' with 'able to', which is redundant since both express ability and should not be stacked together. The version that fixes the real issue keeps 'neither...nor' and switches the verb to the singular 'was', matching 'the Cashier'.

Step 4: Final Answer.
The correct verb form is 'was able to', so the answer is the option reading 'Neither the manager nor the Cashier was able to'.
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