Proximity rule (or / either…or / neither…nor)
SAT glossary · Course Foundations
Definition
With 'X or Y', 'either…or', 'neither…nor', the verb agrees with the nearer element: 'Neither the curator nor the conservators were available' but 'Neither the conservators nor the curator was available.' Same two nouns, different verbs, because proximity governs.
Proximity rule (or / either…or / neither…nor) in plain English
When a sentence uses 'X or Y,' 'either...or,' or 'neither...nor' to connect two different subjects, the verb has to agree with whichever noun is CLOSER to the verb — not the one farther away. So 'Neither the curator nor the conservators WERE available' uses a plural verb (because 'conservators,' the plural noun, sits right next to the verb), but 'Neither the conservators nor the curator WAS available' uses a singular verb instead (because now 'curator,' the singular noun, is the one closest to the verb) — even though it's literally the exact same two nouns in both sentences, just swapped in order, which is exactly why proximity (nearness), not some fixed rule about which noun matters more, decides the verb.
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