Fill in the blank with the correct word from the options given below:
Neither of the two guards on night duty ______ at the gate when the delivery van arrived at midnight.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → was
Subject-verb agreement with “neither of”:
- “Neither of” + a plural noun takes a singular verb. It means “not one of the two”, so each guard is taken by itself.
- The subject is “neither”, not “guards”. “Arrived” shows the past. So the verb is was.
- Complete sentence: Neither of the two guards on night duty was at the gate when the delivery van arrived at midnight.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 2: were — Incorrect. “Were” is plural, but “neither” is singular. Example: Both the guards were at the gate.
Option 3: is — Incorrect. “Is” is singular, but it shows the present. The sentence is about the past (“arrived”). Example: Neither of the shops is open today.
Option 4: are — Incorrect. “Are” is plural, but the subject is singular. Example: The two guards are on duty now.