Is Neither Singular or Plural?
Summary
Neither, which means “not either of two things,” is grammatically singular. In formal writing, use singular verbs with neither to indicate “not the one or the other” of two possibilities (neither of them is here). In informal usage, neither may be treated as singular or plural depending on whether you want to negate two possibilities individually or both together (neither of the students is/are ready). In neither-nor constructions, the verb used should agree with the part closest to it (neither she nor they are here, neither they nor she is here).
Neither: Singular or plural?
The pronoun neither, which means “not either” and refers to “not the one or the other of two things,” is grammatically singular. In formal usage, it takes singular verbs like is and has. Use neither to negate each of two possibilities individually.
- Neither of us has any money.
- Neither of them is happy about this.
- Neither of the models is available in blue.
- Neither of these is right for me.
- Neither of the two rooms you wanted is available.
- Neither of them knows the answer.
- Neither of the two candidates we interviewed has any prior experience.
- Neither of my parents speaks Spanish.
In everyday usage, the word neither is often used to negate both possibilities together (not just each possibility individually). Neither is then treated as plural, particularly in “neither of . . .” constructions (neither of us, neither of them, neither of the students). Thus, in informal usage, neither may be used with a singular or a plural verb, depending on whether you are negating each of two possibilities individually or both possibilities together.
- Informal: Neither of us is/are correct.
Formal: Neither of us is correct. - Informal: Neither of them is/are wrong.
Formal: Neither of them is wrong. - Informal: Neither of the students knows/know the answer.
Formal: Neither of the students knows the answer.
When used as a determiner, neither precedes a singular noun and takes a singular verb like is or has.
- Neither car is right for me.
- Neither applicant has the right skills for the job.
- Neither student knows the answer.
Use neither to negate two things. To speak of more than two things, use none instead.
- Neither of them is wrong.
two of them
- None of them is wrong.
more than two
Like neither, either is grammatically singular and agrees with singular verbs like is and has.
- Either of the options is acceptable.
- Either option is correct.
But just like neither, in informal usage, either is sometimes used with plural verbs like are.
- Informal: Either of these is/are fine.
Formal: Either of these is fine.
Additional guidance
Style manuals (like the Chicago Manual of Style and AP Stylebook) recommend treating neither as singular.
- Neither of them is eligible for the grant.
- Neither of the studies was published.
Dictionaries (like Merriam-Webster and Oxford) and usage guides (like Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage) allow for the use of neither with plural verbs, noting that neither serves as the negative counterpart of not just either but also both.
- Neither of us has money.
negating either
- Neither of us have money.
negating both
In formal writing (such as academic and business texts), stick to using singular verbs with neither: “neither is” instead of “neither are.” In informal and creative writing, write what sounds natural: use a singular verb with neither to negate each of two possibilities individually (neither of them was available) but a plural verb to negate both possibilities together (neither of them were available).
Neither-nor: Singular or plural?
With neither-nor, the verb used should agree with the part closest to it: when two subjects are joined using neither and nor, use a singular or plural verb depending on whether the subject closest to the verb is singular or plural.
- Neither the dog nor the cats have been fed.
- Neither the cats nor the dog has been fed.
Read more in this article on verbs used with compound subjects.
How to pronounce neither
Neither may be pronounced /NEE-dhər/ (with the long E sound) or /NEYE-dhər/ (with a diphthong, as in eye). Either pronunciation is fine in both formal and casual communication, in both British and American English, though the former is thought to be more common in American English: Merriam-Webster lists it as the first pronunciation in its entry on neither.
Similarly, either may be pronounced /EE-dhər/ or /EYE-dhər/, in both British and American English, though the former pronunciation is again more common in the United States.
Examples from literature
Here are some examples from literature that show neither being used with singular verbs, as it generally is in writing.
- “‘Either of us might be accused of it, you know.’ ‘Only neither of us is.’”
— Charles Dickens, Great Expectations (1861)
I am afraid it is quite clear, Cecily, that neither of us is engaged to be married to any one.
— Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest (1895)I don’t think either of us means it, since humility is a word neither of us has ever heard of, but we are honorable men who stick to the bargain.
— Isaac Asimov, Asimov on Science Fiction (1981)But neither of us knows, because a fight’s worth nothing if you know from the start that you’re going to win it.
— Markus Zusak, Fighting Ruben Wolfe (2000)
But note how in more casual writing and speech, the word neither may be treated as plural.
Neither of these editions credit the translator.
When you get two people like myself and Marlon, it’s going to be good to watch because neither of us are going to back down.
— “Stokes re-lives West Indies final, talks Samuels,” Durham Cricket (February 28, 2017)If your ‘freedom’ relies on my oppression, then neither of us are free.
— Tweet by Rep. Ilhan Omar (January 29, 2020)