either/neither help

[envymealways]

<p>which below is correct? </p>

<p>either john or christie wants HIS own dog
OR
either john or christie wants THEIR own dog
OR
either john or christie wants THEIR own dogS </p>

<p>whats the difference and why is one right above the other? thanks :)</p>

[envymealways]

<p>bump please. i really need help :)</p>

[ABCwizard]

<p>The first one is correct. “If the pairings either/or or neither/nor form part of the subject of a verb and both elements are singular, then the verb must be singular too.”</p>

<p>[Either/or</a> plural or singular verb?](<a href=“http://www.grammar-monster.com/lessons/either_or_plural_or_singular_verb.htm]Either/or”>Is 'Either' Singular or Plural?)</p>

[MD_Mom_1]

<p>None of them is correct.</p>

<p>His is a pronoun. Christie isn’t a his.</p>

[phuriku]

<p>

None of them is correct.</p>

<p>His is a pronoun. Christie isn’t a his.

</p>

<p>The word ‘his’ is actually both masculine and gender neutral, which is why the first one is correct.</p>

[MD_Mom_1]

<p>In what handbook did you find that his is gender neutral? His has often been used to refer to a group when gender is unknown, but that is generally considered sexist.</p>

[silverturtle]

<p>

His has often been used to refer to a group when gender is unknown, but that is generally considered sexist.

</p>

<p>Thus, “their” is commonly used in substitution. Many oppose even this, however; in turn, the clunky “his or her” was used.</p>

[silverturtle]

<p>

None of them is correct.

</p>

<p>I do not know whether this mistake was intentional, but in discriminating between the singularity and plurality of “none,” one must look to the complement. Here it is “them”; so we use “are.”</p>

[MD_Mom_1]

<p>The “clunky” his or her could be used in the examples in OP. Their is often used when speaking, but it is plural. I would change the sentences in the OP, but I assumed it was a study or test question.</p>

[MD_Mom_1]

<p>None= not one
“When the meaning of none is emphatically’not one’ none may be treated as singular.” Hacker handbook</p>

[mifune]

<p>But “none” is just as likely to imply “not any,” as it did in the context in which you used it. Thus, “none” would warrant the use of a plural verb. For instance, I do not believe that any of us would be comfortable stating, “None of the children is going with me.”</p>

[silverturtle]

<p>

None= not one
“When the meaning of none is emphatically’not one’ none may be treated as singular.” Hacker handbook

</p>

<p>From grammarmudge.com:</p>

<p>

A common misconception is that none must always be treated as singular. The customary support for this view is that none necessarily means “not one” (implying singularity); in fact, “none” is just as likely to imply “not any” (implying plurality). As noted in The American Heritage Dictionary: "the word has been used as both a singular and a plural noun from Old English onward. The plural usage appears in the King James Bible as well as the works of John Dryden and Edmund Burke and is widespread in the works of respectable writers today.

</p>

<p>From the New York Times Syle Guide:</p>

<p>

none. Despite a widespread assumption that it stands for not one, the word has been construed as a plural (not any) in most contexts for centuries. H. W. Fowler’s Dictionary of Modern English Usage (1926) endorsed the plural use. Make none plural except when emphasizing the idea of not one or no one — and then consider using those phrases instead.

</p>

[silverturtle]

<p>

Their is often used when speaking, but it is plural.

</p>

<p>From Paul Brians’ Common Errors in English Usage:</p>

<p>

Using the plural pronoun to refer to a single person of unspecified gender is an old and honorable pattern in English, not a newfangled bit of degeneracy or a politically correct plot to avoid sexism (though it often serves the latter purpose). People who insist that “Everyone has brought his own lunch” is the only correct form do not reflect the usage of centuries of fine writers. A good general rule is that only when the singular noun does not specify an individual can it be replaced plausibly with a plural pronoun: “Everybody” is a good example. We know that “everybody” is singular because we say “everybody is here,“ not “everybody are here” yet we tend to think of “everybody” as a group of individuals, so we usually say “everybody brought their own grievances to the bargaining table.” “Anybody” is treated similarly.

</p>

[amarkov]

<p>However, the SAT will never ever ever use singular they. If some form of “they” refers to a singular person, that answer is worth -1/4.</p>

[silverturtle]

<p>

However, the SAT will never ever ever use singular they. If some form of “they” refers to a singular person, that answer is worth -1/4.

</p>

<p>You are correct.</p>

[thrill3rnit3]

<p>

I do not believe that any of us would be comfortable stating, “None of the children is going with me.”

</p>

<p>Just because it “sounds right” does not mean it is grammatically correct.</p>

[silverturtle]

<p>

Just because it “sounds right” does not mean it is grammatically correct.

</p>

<p>Correct. Going with what sounds right is not advisable as a blanket rule; but it is often helpful as a guide. Indeed, in this situation, using “are” instead of “is” is appropriate. </p>

<p>MD Mom’s contention that “none” must be singular represents a habit that is often associated with hypercorrectness and perhaps pretentiousness; it is also advised against by most style books (except for the Hacker Handbook, apparently).</p>

[silverturtle]

<p>Anyhow, back to the OP’s question. </p>

<p>If “either” is followed by a prepositional phrase and is used as a subject, it is always singular. For example:</p>

<p>“Either of the slugs is edible.”</p>

<p>“Either of you is my son.”</p>

<p>If, however, “either” is used as a correlative conjunction with “or” (or “nor” in the case of “neither”), the verb must agree with the noun closest to it. For example:</p>

<p>“Either the cow or the hamster is nice.”</p>

<p>“Either the cow or the dogs are nice.”</p>

<p>(These rules apply similarly to “neither.”)</p>

[mifune]

<p>

Just because it “sounds right” does not mean it is grammatically correct.

</p>

<p>Sure, but if you are referring to that example (“None of them is going with me”), that is not a grammatically sound construction.</p>