Question:
The following sentence has been split into four segments. Identify the segment that contains a grammatical error:
Neither the principal (A) / nor the teachers (B) / was present (C) / at the annual meeting. (D)
निम्नलिखित वाक्य में किस भाग में व्याकरण संबंधी त्रुटि है:
Neither the principal (A) / nor the teachers (B) / was present (C) / at the annual meeting. (D)
Options:
- was present
- Neither the principal
- nor the teachers
- at the annual meeting
- was present
- Neither the principal
- nor the teachers
- at the annual meeting
Correct Answer: a)
Explanation:
When two subjects are joined by ‘neither… nor’, the verb agrees with the subject closest to it. Here, ‘teachers’ is plural, so the verb must be plural ‘were present’ instead of ‘was present’ (Option a).
‘Neither… nor’ में क्रिया (verb) अपने निकटतम कर्ता के अनुसार आती है। यहाँ ‘teachers’ बहुवचन है, अतः ‘was present’ के स्थान पर ‘were present’ होना चाहिए (विकल्प a)।