Subject-verb agreement

A small discovery about the English language I thought I'd share. According to the English department of the University of Wisconsin-Madison,

If one subject is singular and one is plural, the verb agrees with the nearer subject. For example, "Neither the television nor the radios work", and "Neither the radios nor the television works".

Well, I didn't think it was obvious.

Portrait of Matt Ryall

About Matt

I’m a technology nerd, husband and father of four, living in beautiful Sydney, Australia.

My passion is building technology products that make the world a better place. In 2021, I started Mawson Rovers to develop robotics and software for space exploration. Prior to this, I led product teams at Atlassian to create collaboration tools for 15 years.

I'm also a startup advisor and investor, with an interest in advancing the Australian space industry. You can read more about my work on my LinkedIn profile.

blog@mattryall.net