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English Language
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In advanced English syntax and sentence correction, identifying subtle agreement errors, misplaced modifiers, and parallel structure violations is crucial for grammatical precision. Consider the following complex sentence with an underlined segment:Neither the chief executive officer nor the members of the board of directors was willing to compromise on their rigid stance regarding the merger.Identify the option that provides the most grammatically accurate, cohesive, and stylistically refined improvement for the underlined segment, or choose option (d) if the original sentence is already optimal.
✓ Correct! Well done.
✗ Not quite — the correct answer is highlighted above.
Detailed Explanation
In English grammar, when two subjects are joined by correlative conjunctions such as 'either/or' or 'neither/nor', the Wikipedia Reference dictates that the verb must agree with the subject that is closer to it. In the original sentence, the plural noun phrase 'members of the board of directors' is closest to the verb, making the singular verb 'was' incorrect; it must be changed to the plural verb 'were'. Furthermore, option (a) ensures appropriate pronoun agreement ('their') with the plural antecedent. Therefore, option (a) is the grammatically correct choice.
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