Hi there!! Hope you're doing well. I'm not pretty sure if the verb after the subjects below is singular or plural, or maybe they're interchangeable. Hope I made myself understood.Thanks for your help.

1 Neither of us is/are more intelligent than she is.
2 None of them live/lives around here.
3 Neither John nor Peter works/work in this company

Question

Hi there!! Hope you're doing well. I'm not pretty sure if the verb after the subjects below is singular or plural, or maybe they're interchangeable. Hope I made myself understood.Thanks for your help.

1 Neither of us is/are more intelligent than she is.
2 None of them live/lives around here.
3 Neither John nor Peter works/work in this company

Answer

In general, for 1 and 2, a singular verb would be used.
Neither of us is more intelligent than she is 
None of them lives around here
However, in speech and less formal writing, plural verbs are often used. To me ear, 'are' sounds utterly wrong in the first sentence, but 'live' sounds more natural in the second. If you are taking a test, it is probably better to err on the side of caution and use singular verbs.
For 3, it depends on the second noun. If the second noun is singular, use a singular verb. If it is plural, use a plural verb.
Source: Advanced Grammar in Use, Martin Hewings, 3rd ed 🙂

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