Which is the correct one?

For the most part, making the correct subject-verb match isn't hard. You probably don't catch yourself saying "I were" or "he are" very often, mostly since they just sound wrong. But sometimes, navigating the singular/plural forms isn't so instinctive. Compound subjects are one tricky area: while two singular subjects joined by "and" become a plural noun and take a plural verb (e.g., "My mother and father love turnips"), they stay singular when neither/nor or either/or does the linking (e.g., "Neither my mother nor my father loves turnips"). When one of the subjects is singular and the other plural, the verb should match the closer noun (e.g., "Either the blue shorts or the denim skirt is my favorite of those options"). Another thing that can throw people is intervening words and phrases, such as prepositional phrases beginning with "of" and parenthetical phrases like "as well as" that add an additional noun to the sentence. These nouns do not become part of the subject, so don't change the verb form (e.g., "A jar of dill pickles is what I want. . ."; "John, as well as his twin brothers, is arriving today").

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