Neither the students nor the teacher were aware of the cancellation. Which sentence shows the correct subject-verb agreement for a singular subject joined by 'neither...nor'?

• A. Neither the students nor the teacher were aware.
• B. Neither the students nor the teacher was aware.
• C. Neither the student nor the teachers were aware.
• D. Neither the students nor the teacher are aware.

Answer: (B)

Subject-verb agreement with neither...nor relies on the noun closest to the verb. The closest noun here is “the teacher,” which is singular, so the verb should be singular: was. That’s why the correct sentence uses “was aware.” Using “were” or “are” would mismatch the number of the nearer subject and sound ungrammatical in formal English. The meaning remains the same—neither group knew about the cancellation—but the grammar must have the singular verb to match the singular nearer noun.