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10 個導致退稿的常見寫作錯誤之四
【學術專欄】
10 Common Writing Errors That Can Spell “Rejection” for Your Manuscript: Error 4
10 個導致退稿的常見寫作錯誤之四

Error 4: Avoid Errors of Agreement When Using Correlative Conjunctions

“Neither the astronomer nor his staff members have been able to interpret the data from the satellite mission.”

“Neither the astronomer nor his chief of staff has been able to interpret the data from the satellite mission.”

“Neither the staff members nor the astronomer himself has been able to interpret the data from the satellite mission.”


The correlative conjunctions, “either…or,” and “neither…nor” pose tricky problems for many writers. Generally the conjunction indicates that each member of the compound subject is treated individually so the verb would be singular. However, if one of the members is plural, the verb agrees with the subject noun that is the closest. Each of the three example sentences is correct.

很多作者對關係連接詞如 “either…or” 和 “neither…nor” 感到頭痛。一般來說,連接詞應該表示複合主詞中的每個項目都是個別視之,因此動詞必須是單數。不過如果其中一個項目是複數,則動詞應該以最靠近的主語名詞為準。這三個範例都是正確的。


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