"None of" and "Neither of" Agreement in Technical English
5 exercises — practise verb agreement after "none of" and "neither of" in test reporting and technical reviews.
0 / 16 completed
1 / 16
Which sentence uses the more formal, traditionally preferred agreement after "none of"?
"None of the unit tests was affected by the refactor" follows the traditional formal rule that "none" is treated as singular (from "not one"), taking a singular verb even when followed by a plural noun. Option B uses the plural "were", which is common and accepted informally but not the strictly formal choice this question asks for. Option C incorrectly uses the singular noun "test" after "of", which does not match "none of" implying a set. Option D uses a non-finite form with no auxiliary, leaving the sentence incomplete.
2 / 16
Choose the sentence with correct agreement for "neither of", which always takes a singular verb in formal usage.
"Neither of the two replicas has synced correctly" is correct: unlike "none of", "neither of" is consistently treated as singular in formal usage, so it takes the singular verb "has" even with the plural noun "replicas". Option B incorrectly uses the plural "have", which is common informally but not the strict formal rule. Option C uses the singular "replica", which is inconsistent with "the two". Option D uses a non-finite "having synced" with no finite auxiliary, leaving the sentence incomplete.
3 / 16
Which sentence correctly reflects that "none of" with an uncountable noun always takes a singular verb?
"None of the configuration data was corrupted during the migration" is correct: with an uncountable noun like "data" used in the mass sense, "none of" always takes a singular verb, with no informal plural alternative. Option B incorrectly uses the plural "were" with an uncountable noun. Option C incorrectly pluralizes "data" as "datas", which is nonstandard. Option D uses a non-finite form with no finite auxiliary, leaving the sentence incomplete.
4 / 16
Select the sentence with correct, natural-sounding informal agreement after "none of" in a spoken standup update.
"None of the flaky tests are failing consistently, so it's hard to reproduce" is correct: in everyday spoken usage, especially a standup update, plural agreement with "none of + plural noun" is standard and natural, unlike the stricter written rule. Option B uses the more formal singular "is", which sounds stiff and less natural for this spoken register, so it is not the best fit for this context. Option C uses the singular "test", which is inconsistent with the plural quantity implied. Option D omits the auxiliary "are", leaving an incomplete verb phrase.
5 / 16
Which sentence correctly uses "neither of" with singular agreement in a formal architecture review?
"Neither of the proposed solutions fully addresses the scaling requirement" is correct: "neither of" takes a singular verb, "addresses", regardless of the plural noun "solutions" that follows. Option B incorrectly uses the plural "address". Option C uses the singular "solution", which is inconsistent since "neither of" requires a following plural noun phrase referring to two or more items. Option D drops the required "of" after "neither", which is needed before a definite plural noun phrase like "the proposed solutions".
6 / 16
John commented on the PR: 'None of the tests are passing. Neither of the database connections is established.' Which sentence demonstrates the most grammatically precise and formal agreement in this context?
The phrase 'none of' followed by a singular noun requires a singular verb. Similarly, 'neither of' always takes a singular verb. Option 0 correctly uses 'are' and 'is', reflecting this formal agreement. Options 1 and 2 incorrectly use plural forms, while option 3 is unnecessarily complex and less common in technical writing.
7 / 16
Sarah writes a Slack message to her team: 'None of the API endpoints are responding as expected. Neither of the servers is reporting any errors.' What is the most accurate correction for this sentence?
The core issue here is subject-verb agreement. 'None of' and 'neither of' both require a singular verb form. Option 0 correctly uses 'are' to match the singular subjects. Options 1 and 2 use incorrect verb tenses, while option 3 incorrectly applies plural agreement.
8 / 16
John commented on the PR: 'None of the tests are passing. Neither of the database connections is established.' Which sentence demonstrates the most grammatically precise and formal agreement in this context?
The phrase 'none of' followed by a singular noun requires a singular verb. Similarly, 'neither of' always takes a singular verb. Option 0 correctly uses 'are' and 'is', reflecting this formal agreement. Options 1 and 2 incorrectly use plural forms, while option 3 is unnecessarily complex and less common in technical writing.
9 / 16
Sarah writes a Slack message to her team: 'None of the API endpoints are responding as expected. Neither of the servers is reporting any errors.' What is the most accurate correction for this sentence?
The core issue here is subject-verb agreement. 'None of' and 'neither of' both require a singular verb form. Option 0 correctly uses 'are' to match the singular subjects. Options 1 and 2 use incorrect verb tenses, while option 3 incorrectly applies plural agreement.
10 / 16
John commented on the PR: 'None of the tests are passing. Neither of the database connections is established.' Which sentence demonstrates the most grammatically precise and formal agreement in this context?
The phrase 'none of' followed by a singular noun requires a singular verb. Similarly, 'neither of' always takes a singular verb. Option 0 correctly uses 'are' and 'is', reflecting this formal agreement. Options 1 and 2 incorrectly use plural forms, while option 3 is unnecessarily complex and less common in technical writing.
11 / 16
Sarah writes a Slack message to her team: 'None of the API endpoints are responding as expected. Neither of the servers is reporting any errors.' What is the most accurate correction for this sentence?
The core issue here is subject-verb agreement. 'None of' and 'neither of' both require a singular verb form. Option 0 correctly uses 'are' to match the singular subjects. Options 1 and 2 use incorrect verb tenses, while option 3 incorrectly applies plural agreement.
12 / 16
Reviewer: 'None of the unit tests are passing. Neither of the error handling mechanisms is implemented.' Which revision demonstrates the most technically accurate and grammatically correct phrasing for a code review comment?
The key distinction here lies in tense consistency. 'Pass' (present perfect) correctly reflects that the tests *continue* to fail. 'Has been implemented' (present perfect) accurately describes the state of the error handling; it started in the past and continues to the present. Using 'passed' would be incorrect as it implies a completed action, not a continuing problem.
13 / 16
Dev A: 'None of the database queries are returning results. Neither of the connection pools is configured correctly.' Which sentence represents the most appropriate and professional correction for this Slack message?
The core rule here is that 'none of' with an uncountable noun (queries) requires a singular verb ('are returning'). 'Haven't' and 'hasn't' are contractions of 'have not' and 'has not', respectively, and incorrectly apply to the plural subject implied by 'none of'. Also, phrasing 'returning any results' is more descriptive.
14 / 16
PR Description: 'None of the new features are working as designed. Neither of the user interfaces is responsive.' What revision provides the most polished and technically accurate description for a Pull Request?
'Are working' (present continuous) accurately reflects that the problem persists in the current state. 'Has worked' is past perfect and implies a completed action before the present, which isn't suitable for describing an ongoing issue. Using 'responds' is more natural than 'is responsive'.
15 / 16
Developer: 'None of the microservices are reporting any errors. Neither of the load balancers is showing high traffic.' Which phrasing best suits a concise update during a daily stand-up meeting?
Stand-up updates prioritize brevity and clarity. While 'are reporting' and 'is showing' are technically correct, the simpler forms ('report,' 'show') are more natural and efficient for a quick status update. The phrasing should be clear and direct.
16 / 16
Architect: 'None of the data centers have sufficient capacity. Neither of the failover systems is configured.' Which sentence represents the most precise and formal expression for an architecture review context?
In formal technical documentation and reviews, maintaining consistent verb agreement is crucial. 'Have' aligns with 'none of' (an uncountable noun referring to capacity) requiring a singular verb – 'is'. Using phrases like 'data centers's capacity' creates unnecessary grammatical complexity.
What will I practise in ""None of" and "Neither of" Agreement in Technical English — IT Grammar Exercise"?
Practise formal singular agreement, informal plural agreement, and strict singular agreement after "none of" and "neither of" in QA reports, test summaries
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This module has 16 multiple-choice exercises, each with instant feedback and a full explanation of the correct answer.
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