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Is it legal to use has in the following question?

Would you tell me please whether either my friend Joey or me has to visit the manager tomorrow?

Or, instead, should I use have rather than has?

Smolina Fezaphitsh
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3 Answers3

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I think that 'either' here is being used in the sense that it is Joey, or 'me' (not both). So, the proper conjugation of the verb to have would be has.

You would generally use plural when you have 'either of', for example:

Would you tell me please whether either of us have to visit the manager tomorrow?

Jerry
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  • Jerry, welcome and +1. I like the disjunctive argument, in which one excludes the other. Congratulations! –  May 11 '13 at 15:55
  • Thanks Carlo :) I was browsing about the different SE and found this one, thinking I could learn some things myself. Also, nicely spotted for the me vs I part. – Jerry May 11 '13 at 16:05
  • However, Jerry, if either is the subject of the clause "either of us have to visit the manager tomorrow?", as is, you should use has, not have. Why do you say that we have to use have there? Please, explain. Thank you. –  May 11 '13 at 16:14
  • In other terms, shouldn't "either" as a subject take a singular verb? –  May 11 '13 at 16:16
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    @Carlo_R. There's no straightforward rule; either can be singular or plural depending on the situation. In my example, either of us has a plural component 'us'. This goes the same way with either of them, either of the students, etc. either gets singular when it's clear it's part of a singular phrase or by itself, e.g. "Either is fine.", "Either one will do." Even with these though, you might be finding differences among speakers. – Jerry May 11 '13 at 17:27
  • I can't use US, because how the manager will know which employee I will go with ? I am working with 50000 employee at the same company, I want to ask the manager that I want to visit her with Joey, Just Joey, how please? – Smolina Fezaphitsh May 11 '13 at 22:28
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    @Jerry. I disagree with the second part of your answer, and with parts of your comment reply to Carlo. either of us is the same as one of us - both are singular, so it's one of us has to visit or either of us has to visit. Only one person is visiting. Same as Fred or Mike has to visit. – TrevorD May 11 '13 at 23:57
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    @Smolina. Now I'm confused as to what you are trying to say. From your question I thought you mean (1) Joey visits the manager, OR (2) You visit the manager. From your recent comment, you seem to be saying it's (3) Joey AND you visit, OR (4) Joey visits alone. Please clarify. – TrevorD May 12 '13 at 00:02
  • @TrevorD Actually, either of us is not the same as one of us. It's actually one, or the other, or both of us. Because of this, going for plural is more natural. I already warned that it might be different among speakers. For example: The are fields on either sides of the road for me means on both sides. – Jerry May 12 '13 at 07:39
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    @SmolinaFezaphitsh I'm not telling you to us us. I'm telling you to use either my friend Joey or me has. – Jerry May 12 '13 at 07:40
  • @Jerry We have to agree to disagree! From the references I've looked at (and the way I've understood it for the past 50+ years) "either of us" means one of us, but not both. FreeDictionary (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/either) has "either: one or the other (of two) ... Usage: Either is followed by a singular verb in good usage: either is good; either of these books is useful." ODO (http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/either?q=either) has "either side of the road" (not "sides" plural) meaning "each side of the road". ("Each" is singular".) – TrevorD May 12 '13 at 16:06
  • @TrevorD I agreed to disagree in my answer itself. Now, I said that there's no single meaning. Take FreeDictionary: 1st either adj. One and the other; each: rings on either hand 2nd either det. both one and the other there were ladies at either end of the table 3rd either each of two; the one and the other: There are trees on either side of the river. Oxford det. there were no children of either marriage (Can't be one, otherwise this sentence doesn't make any sense) 2 det. each of two: the road was straight, with fields on either side (each of two implies both). – Jerry May 12 '13 at 18:04
  • @Jerry Come on you guys; Trevor is saying one thing and you, Jerry, are saying another: Either x or y=singular. One and the other is completely different. Either of us and one of us are singular. – Lambie Feb 14 '18 at 15:42
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I'm not sure your sentence is valid English where you use "me":

either my friend Joey or me has to visit ...

either my friend Joey or I has to visit ...

If I'm correct we should answer in reference the I version, and, if so, the use of has sounds awkward (third person) after I (first person).

So use have, but do not generalize the argument I proposed because sometimes it doesn't work.

Community
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    I think you are theoretically correct that it should be I rather than me, but I think most people (at least in UK usage) would say either Joey or me .... What might be better is to rephrase it, e.g. Joey has to visit the manager tomorrow, or I have to. – TrevorD May 11 '13 at 23:49
  • I agree with TrevorD. But the fact is many people say: Either x or me, but in any case, the verb would be in the singular. – Lambie Feb 14 '18 at 15:37
  • Its Valid English. It's merely invalid latin, but English isn't Latin. https://newrepublic.com/article/77732/grammar-puss-steven-pinker-language-william-safire – Mercury00 Sep 25 '18 at 17:55
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Every of you is wrong

for instance in the first case

  1. Would you please tell me whether(if) either of my friends, Joey or I have to visit the manager tomorrow?

you take as reference or subject agreement the one that is closer to the conjunction "or" in this case is have

  1. Would you tell me please whether either of us has to visit the manager tomorrow?

in this case as the first one we have an exception anytime we have each, every, and either or neither we use the verb in singular in this case "has" rather than have which would have more sense at first but it's grammatically incorrect.

  1. either my friend Joey or I(me) have(has) to visit ... We use I instead of me because it's not a comparison and there is no a verb either. plus the verb have cuz' we take the closest one since the rule says.

the right question is

Would you tell me please whether either of my friends Joey or I have to visit the manager tomorrow? aslo we lack another friend to use either Joeu and who else??? .

Alex O'connor Msc.on Foreign Languages I am irish

msc.Alex O'connor from Ireland
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