Karen

[Unregistered]

Hi!

Simple question - what is correct:

If one or the other is responsible for...
If one or the other are responsible for

Thank you in advance for your reply.

BR, Karen

 

[The French]

Hi!

Simple question - what is correct:

If one or the other is responsible for...
If one or the other are responsible for

Thank you in advance for your reply.

BR, Karen

Hello,

I chose the first one. With the preposition 'or' I believe it can be one of them but not the both subjects.

Cordially,

 

[Barb_D]

Yes, it's the first one. With "or" you make the verb agree with the subject that comes closest to the verb.

 

[The French]

Yes, it's the first one. With "or" you make the verb agree with the subject that comes closest to the verb.

Hello Barb_D,

What do you mean by 'the closest to the verb', I am sure you are not talking about the distance between the verb and the both subjects.

Make my day to enlighten for me your answer.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Barb_D]

Yes, that's exactly what I mean.

Personally I find a lot more of these silly "or" sentences in ESL forums than in real life but let us say you are helping with a bake sale. You are guessing which will be the first item sold.

I bet that cake or these cookies are the first to go.
I bet these cookies or that cake is the first to go.

The verb agrees with the element in the compound-or subject that it is closer to. Of course in the original sentence both were singular so it didn't matter but that's how it works when they are of different number.

 

[The French]

Hi teacher,

Now it is very clear for me. Thanks a lot for your explanation.

I have a break, I am going to take 'sun' (It is sunny today in France:-D).

Have nice day.