Compound Subjects Exercises

A compound subject consists of two or more nouns joined by a word like and, or, nor. The joining word determines the verb form. Subjects joined by and are usually plural: "Tom and Sarah are friends" — two people, so the verb is "are." The main exception is when "and" connects two things that form a single idea: "Bread and butter is my favourite breakfast" — one combination, one meal.

With or and nor, the verb agrees with the nearest subject. "Neither the teacher nor the students were ready" — "students" is nearest and plural, so "were." "Neither the students nor the teacher was ready" — "teacher" is nearest and singular, so "was." The same rule applies to either...or: "Either the cats or the dog needs feeding" — "dog" is nearest and singular. This "nearest subject" rule is one of the most common A2-level test questions, and getting it right shows strong control of English grammar.