use of 'is' vs. 'are'

[zwhyxw]

Hello all:

In the sentence "I assume that you or Anita are coordinating the event." should "I assume that you or Anita..." be followed by 'is' or by 'are'? I don't know. My ear hears 'are' (when read with 'you') but my mind tells me it should be 'is' (when read with 'Anita'). The 'or' makes the subject singular in my mind and hurts my brain. What do you think, and why?

[MikeNewYork]

Hello all:

In the sentence "I assume that you or Anita are coordinating the event." should "I assume that you or Anita..." be followed by 'is' or by 'are'? I don't know. My ear hears 'are' (when read with 'you') but my mind tells me it should be 'is' (when read with 'Anita'). The 'or' makes the subject singular in my mind and hurts my brain. What do you think, and why?

In confusing cases like this, let the nearest noun control the verb. In this case "is". If you reverse the subject, with "you" second, use "are".