Neither pairs with nor. Keep the two halves parallel, and make the verb agree with the closer subject. Neither the timer nor the flags were on. The positive pair is either or.
Match the parts
Neither… nor… should join the same kind of thing: two nouns, two verbs, two phrases. Neither rushing nor to skip a passage is not parallel. Fix the second half. Do not mix neither with or.
When two subjects sit after neither… nor, the verb follows the one nearer the verb: Neither the students nor the proctor was late. Agreement as a rule is in subject-verb agreement. Parallel lists are in parallel structure. Diction overall is in word choice.
The bottom line
Neither takes nor. Keep both sides the same shape, then agree with the closer subject.
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